The End Silence, Speak Now (ESSO) at the Namibia University of Science and Technology was established in order to put an end to gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual assault (SA) on campus.
Ngeje Kavita, a second-year economics student and the founder of ESSO, discussed the background behind society’s objectives and aims for the year, as well as why GBV and SA may negatively impact students’ mental health.
Born an advocate
Kavita says she explored the realities of life growing up and describes herself as a ‘go-getter’ who achieved milestones during the challenges she endured. One such achievement is being elected to be the Deputy Junior Mayor in the Junior Council during her Grade 11 year.
“This role ignited my passion for community service and taught me invaluable lessons in problem-solving, particularly in addressing the pressing issues I witnessed in my community,” Kavita shared.
In 2023, Kavita served as the Chairperson of the Basic Income Grant group at NUST, where she shed light on the gap between the rich and poor, and she is currently the Student Representative for Accommodation at NUST and the treasurer of the Economics Society.
Through every role I undertake, I strive to bridge gaps, advocate for change, and empower those around me.
Ngeje Kavita
How ESSO came to be
“The idea behind ESSO is to create a space for students at NUST to freely report cases of harassment, assault, or gender-based violence on or off campus,” Kavita said.
Kavita said that they can be educated and know the right authorities to speak to because these things that happen to students shouldn’t be taken lightly or go unreported.
“When we are on a university campus where there are allegations like student-teacher relationships, having sexual intercourse for marks, or someone being groped at the tuckshop, it is disheartening to not have a society standing against it because we have societies for mental health and everything else but none for gender-based violence and sexual harassment and assault,” Kavita explained.
Campus alliance
Kavita added that there needs to be such societies on campuses, not just at NUST but also at IUM, Triumphant, Lingua, and UNAM.
“We are at campuses where ages range and some can be naïve to certain things and others will take advantage of this,” Kavita said, adding that this [GBV and sexual assault] are nation-wide issues and it’s become too common to read about them in newspapers.
“In my position as an SRC, I have received assault and harassment complaints from students, and as much as the university solves these problems very quickly, we should focus more on preventing them in the first place,” Kavita strongly said.
Kavita made the link between assault and mental health, adding that if students are sexually assaulted, that event may trigger mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Thus, she believes that if assault is prevented, then students’ mental health will be less threatened.
Help available free of charge
“Students can visit the department of student services on the upper campus next to the girl’s hostel. There are two women whose job it is to listen to you for free, as well as a counsellor, Ms. Miller, and Ms. McNelly, who has an open-door policy where you can talk to her when something happens,” Kavita said.
She emphasised that these services are free because she knows students think of therapy or seeing a counsellor and immediately think of paying, but she assures them that these people are willing to listen and offer advice and guidance on issues that affect them, such as academic, relationship, and even family matters.
“If you just want to report something, they can also help you open a case with the authorities and get you help,” Kavita added.
Kavita added that the aim of ESSO is to make sure each member is well-equipped to handle students who approach them and knows the right steps to take when handling GBV and SA.
Other unresolved issues
Furthermore, Kavita said that there are also other issues surrounding university students, and as an SRC for Accommodation, she advocates for affordable housing for students.
“I get phone calls regularly from students looking for accommodation, and their price range is out of the market,” Kavita said. “The market forces students to pay such high prices just to get a shared bedroom in someone’s backyard.”
Student hunger is also something else that needs to be addressed. Students come to school on an empty stomach, go through the day, and write tests on empty stomachs.
There is more that ESSO has planned for the upcoming months.
“Our society plans to host monthly meetings for the members and have fundraising days as well as a solidarity march for victims and survivors of GBV and SA. We plan to have an art exhibition night where students can come express themselves through music, poetry, and dance,” Kavita said.
If raising awareness, educating, and actively working towards preventing GBV and SA sounds like something you wish to be a part of and help others who face and experience abuse, then this society is for you. Get in touch with Kavita on 061 207 2706 and become equipped to handle abuse and know the right steps to take to ensure justice is done. And if you are a student from a different campus, consider starting a society like this to ensure student safety on your university grounds.
