Directorate of Gender Equality and Child Care Protection Services
The Directorate is responsible for ensuring gender equality and equity at all levels, i.e., economic, social and political, as well as ensuring the care and protection of all children in Namibia through the application of all relevant national legislation and ratified regional and international treaties.
The Directorate has four divisions that provide the following services:
Gender Mainstreaming
The Division offers a range of services including the analysis of national policies and programs for gender responsiveness, the development and provision of guidelines and strategies on Gender Mainstreaming (GM) and Gender Responsive Budget (GRB), monitoring the implementation of gender mainstreaming programs and activities, coordinating and maintaining networks at national, regional, and international forums, facilitating gender mainstreaming capacity building at all levels, advocating for and strengthening family support systems, and raising awareness about gender issues such as Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Human Trafficking (TIP).
Division: Gender Advocacy and Mobilization
The Division provides a comprehensive range of services, including the analysis and proposal of amendments to national legal instruments for gender responsiveness, the promotion of women's and girls' rights, conducting and facilitating research, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the National Gender Policy and other gender-related international instruments on women empowerment programs across sectors, and producing and disseminating gender-related publications and materials on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Trafficking in Persons (TIP) through resource centers and regional offices.
Division: Residential Child Care Facilities and Institutions
The Division oversees various critical functions, including monitoring the implementation of minimum standards for Residential Child Care Facilities (RCCF), identifying unregistered RCCF and conducting initial inspections, facilitating registration and providing technical assistance to unregistered RCCF, shelters, and other facilities, administering subsidies to registered RCCF, managing the Namibia Children’s Home and After School Centre for street children, conducting inspections and registering shelters for victims of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Violence Against Children (VAC), and Trafficking In Persons (TIP), and providing support for the administration and supervision of GBV, VAC, and TIP shelters.
Division: Child Care Services
The Division offers a range of crucial services, including facilitating access to basic services for all children, investigating cases of child abuse, neglect, labor, and trafficking, removing children from harmful environments and placing them in safe care, conducting investigations and making recommendations for foster care, adoptions, and custody, screening and diverting children in conflict with the law, providing prevention and after-care services for survivors of GBV and VAC, sensitizing communities on children's rights and responsibilities, creating awareness on baby dumping and alternative solutions, recruiting and registering prospective adoptive and foster parents, facilitating International Social Work Services, implementing monitoring and evaluation of child care programs, coordinating the National Agenda for Children, and conducting capacity building and supportive supervision for staff.
