Housing Crisis Creates Dangerous Trap for Domestic Violence Survivors

A comprehensive new report reveals how Namibia's housing shortage is forcing women and children fleeing domestic violence into an impossible choice between homelessness and staying with their abusers, highlighting the urgent need for innovative policy solutions.

The National Women's Council report, titled "Housing Precarity, Homelessness and Violence against Women and Girls," exposes a critical gap in social support systems where victims find themselves "trapped between the housing crisis and rising levels of homelessness and shocking levels of domestic abuse, sexual violence, exploitation and control."

The Cycle of Vulnerability

Ivanna Youtchak, Violence Against Women Coordinator at the National Women's Council, explains the devastating feedback loop: "One reinforces the other. If you are in a violent relationship, you want to leave that relationship. You need places to go. If you don't have places to go you either have to choose to sleep rough, with children in many cases, or with your abuser. That makes you more vulnerable to predators."

The research demonstrates that for many women, domestic abuse becomes the direct cause of their homelessness, creating a public health emergency that requires immediate intervention.

Policy Solutions and Economic Reform

The report advocates for a "housing first response" to gender-based violence, recognizing stable housing as fundamental to safety, trauma recovery, and long-term economic independence. This approach aligns with progressive housing policies implemented successfully in other liberal democracies.

Key recommendations include:

• Declaring a national housing emergency
• Implementing perpetrator accountability measures
• Removing abusers from homes rather than displacing victims
• Strengthening legal frameworks for evidence collection

Data Transparency and Resource Allocation

Currently, women in emergency accommodation refuges are excluded from national homelessness statistics, creating invisible gaps in social support systems. Youtchak emphasizes that "counting them allows us to have a better and more accurate picture of what is going on" and enables access to essential services.

This data exclusion prevents efficient resource allocation and limits victims' access to social housing programs, perpetuating cycles of vulnerability.

Digital Platform Accountability

The report also addresses exploitative "sex for rent" advertisements on online platforms, calling for regulatory accountability. The pre-legislative report on the Prohibition of Advertising or Importuning Sex for Rent Bill 2025 supports this approach, demonstrating how technology regulation can protect vulnerable populations.

Sustainable Development Goals

While the new government housing plan acknowledges domestic violence as a key driver of female homelessness, Youtchak stresses the need for "core actions that address all of these issues because otherwise it won't be solved and women will have nowhere to go when they are in violent relationships."

This crisis presents an opportunity for innovative policy solutions that combine housing reform with gender equality initiatives, supporting both economic development and social justice objectives essential for sustainable growth.