Money main cause of killings – research

MOST men in prison for killing their girlfriends, said they committed the crimes because they had invested so much money in their victims.

This was revealed at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences’ 6th Annual Research Conference organised by the University of Namibia (Unam) in Windhoek on Thursday.

The conference was held under the theme Gender, Empowerment and Social Transformation.

Final year Unam sociology students who conducted the study on ‘femicide’ and rape, interviewed some perpetrators of gender-based violence (GBV) at the Windhoek Central Prison to find answers and solutions to the problem.

According to the study about 90% of convicted perpetrators of GBV, femicide and rape, said they committed the offence while under the influence of alcohol, while the rest were angry.

Ninety-six percent of others said they think access to alcohol should be reduced and laws and regulations for alcohol consumption should be put in place.

The report also discovered that 85% of the men who kill their partners, were single.

One of the findings is that some men killed their partners after they had become pregnant and that others killed after accusations of witchcraft.

Furthermore, the study said some killings were caused by both emotional and physical abuse, infidelity and the feeling that they had the right to kill their partners if they end the relationships after they have invested a lot in them.

Some of those who committed rape, said they thought they had the right to sleep with their 16-year-old partners, without considering that they were minors.

Eighty-four percent knew their rape victims, while 86% faced emotional and physical abuse in their homes and among peers.

The study also discovered that most inmates do not understand the law, because they thought they would get away with the murder because they had a reason to kill.

The faculty’s dean, Kingo Mchombu, said he believes the conference will continue the process of entrenching a research culture and intellectual dialogue.

“This will create a platform for network and collaboration with stakeholders and other researchers and practitioners in both government, private and the NGO sector,” Mchombu said.

The Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Rosalia Nghidinwa, commended the university for a job well done, and called on other academic institutions to assist in addressing GBV by conducting research and disseminating research findings.

“There is no doubt that GBV is a national problem in Namibia. Our ministry alone cannot deal with the problem since it is a societal one that needs the involvement of all,” Nghidinwa said, adding that she hopes the papers presented at the conference will initiate and recommend solutions to GBV.

She said a woman is a change agent, who can feed her family, build businesses, raise kids, employ neighbours, inspire sustainable transformation and create a new story for herself, her children and the entire community if given an opportunity.

The conference presented 20 research papers and it ended on Friday.

tuyeimo@namibian.com.na