NAMIBIA

According to statistics from UNICEF relating to the period 2001-2007, of girls and women aged 15-49, 35% think that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2009,  Progress for Children: A report card on child protection, NY: UNICEF www.childinfo.org/files/Progress_for_Children-No.8_EN.pdf) 

A 2008 survey of 1,680 respondents found that 78% of them thought that a parent had a right to hit their child if the child was disobedient, 63% if the child did not want to go to school, 51% if the child ran away from home and 27% if the child performed poorly in school. Almost 61% of respondents believed that it was common in their communities for children to be smacked or caned. Respondents from households with children aged 2-14 years old were asked about what forms of discipline had ever been used in their household. 40% said that children had been spanked, hit or slapped on the bottom with a bare hand, 30% that children had been hit with objects and 18% that children had been hit or slapped on the face, head or ears.  

(SIAPAC, 2008,  Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Study on Factors and Traditional Practices that may Perpetuate or Protect Namibians from Gender Based Violence and Discrimination: Caprivi, Erongo, Karas, Kavango, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, and Otjozondjupa Regions (Final Report), Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, cited in Hubbard, D. et al, 2010, Corporal Punishment: National and International Perspectives, Windhoek: Legal Assistance Centre)