One social worker for every 17 923 children
National priority
Namibia has just one social worker for every 17 923 children – a staggering ratio flagged in the newly launched sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) as a critical barrier to delivering effective and timely child protection services.The plan, officially unveiled by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Windhoek on Monday, is themed Fostering Economic Growth, Inclusiveness and Resilience for Sustainable Development and will guide national priorities from 2025/26 to 2029/30.
Highlighting child protection as a national priority, NDP6 warns that the country’s shortage of professional personnel continues to undermine efforts to prevent and respond to cases of abuse, exploitation, and neglect. During the previous planning period, the gender ministry recorded 14 059 cases of violence against children – including physical and sexual abuse, neglect, trafficking, and abandonment.
Namibia’s child population stands at 1 397 975 – nearly half (47%) of the total population – according to the 2023 National Housing Census.
New flagship programme
To close the glaring protection gaps, the plan proposes expanding the child protection workforce, strengthening coordination between ministries, and introducing integrated case management systems.
A new flagship intervention, the Child Care and Protection System, will serve as the main vehicle for reform. It aims to enforce legal protections, deliver services to vulnerable children, and establish a national rehabilitation centre to support victims.
NDP6 also draws attention to the growing threat of online child sexual exploitation. A 2022 Disrupting Harm survey found that 9% of Namibian internet users aged 12 to 17 – roughly 20 000 children annually – reported experiencing online abuse.
Further data from the 2019 Violence Against Children Survey revealed that 32.7% of girls and 30.9% of boys aged 13 to 17 had experienced physical or verbal abuse in their homes. Among young adults aged 18 to 24, 45% of males and 39.6% of females reported having suffered violence during childhood.
Child marriage still prevalent
Child marriage remains widespread in several regions, including Kunene, Kavango East, Kavango West, Zambezi, Omusati and Ohangwena. A 2020 national study, based on 2013 data, found that 18.4% of girls and 4.1% of boys had been married before the age of 18.
To address these systemic challenges, NDP6 sets out several targets to be achieved by 2030. These include reducing cases of violence against children from 14 059 to 10 000, lowering the national child marriage rate from 22.5% to 12.5%, and improving the Minimum Package of Care Index from 0.58 to 0.63.
Other strategic objectives include eliminating child labour, enhancing early intervention mechanisms, and strengthening data collection and use for more informed decision-making. The plan also proposes the establishment of a Child Research and Training Institute, which would institutionalise ongoing training for service providers across the child protection sector.
The implementation phase will focus on improving response times to incidents of abuse, expanding access to psychosocial and legal support services for children, and ensuring that relevant laws and policies are regularly reviewed and effectively enforced.