N$1m budget for 8 shelters caters for food and basics
The gender ministry says the N$1 million budget for the 2026/27 financial year is for food and basic necessities, but will not cover maintenance or expansion of shelter. There are eight State-run shelters across the country and two privately owned facilities in Khomas.
These are in the Zambezi, Kavango East, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena, Khomas, Hardap, and ǁKharas regions, alongside privately run facilities in Khomas and Oshikoto.
Iyambo said that the shelters can accommodate only 20 babies and 80 survivors of GBV, violence against children, and human trafficking at any given time, far below national demand. According to Iyambo, the N$1 million operational budget for the shelters is mostly used to cover the victims' meals and basic needs.
She said the ministry subsidises the two privately run shelters at a combined monthly cost of N$46 793.71, which tallies to about N$561 516 per year, leaving N$438 484 for the other eight. “This does not include the maintenance and the development budget for shelters,” Iyambo said, adding that shelter capacity is generally measured in terms of available beds per shelter. "Thus, the system operates under significant pressure, and in some instances, shelters reach full capacity, requiring prioritisation based on risk levels and urgency of need,” Iyambo said.
“As a result, only a small proportion of survivors can be accommodated at any given time. Safe houses are designed primarily as emergency, short-term protective spaces rather than a system-wide accommodation solution,” she said.
During the 2025/26 financial year, gender minister Emma Kantema told parliament in her budget motivation that the shelters had accommodated 254 victims of GBV, Violence Against Children (VAC), and Trafficking in Persons (TIP).
Inadequate shelters
“Given the scale and complexity of gender-based violence in Namibia, the current sheltering system is not yet fully adequate to meet all demand across the country,” Iyambo said.
Iyambo explained that access to shelters is tightly controlled, with survivors required to undergo assessment by social workers through GBV protection units before admission, while walk-ins are not permitted.
She said that, under pressure, the ministry lacks a consolidated system to track how many victims are turned away. “There is currently no consolidated national system that consistently captures the victims who were turned away within a given period. “In many cases, alternative placements are arranged informally, which are not always reflected in official statistics,” Iyambo explained.
She added that operational challenges extend beyond funding to include staffing shortages and infrastructure constraints. “In certain instances, these constraints have resulted in temporary adjustments to service delivery levels, such as reduced intake capacity or reliance on referral arrangements to alternative facilities,” she said.
She revealed that each shelter is staffed by one social worker, with no permanently assigned psychologists. Survivors, Iyambo said, who require specialised mental health support are referred to the health ministry.
She further said that while shelters are fully government-funded, partners such as the United Nations Population Fund provide additional support, including dignity kits and capacity-building initiatives.
Rising GBV cases
Police statistics show that more than 4 400 GBV cases, including 1 345 rape cases, were recorded in just 10 months between April 2024 and February 2025.
The gender ministry executive director, Lydia Indombo, said at the time that these numbers were not just statistics. "They represent people we know - our neighbours, our community members, and innocent human beings,” Indombo said.
Inspector General of Police Joseph Shikongo has also been quoted as saying that rape is a major contributor to the country’s GBV burden.
