Human Rights Day / Women’s Day in Namibia Date in the current year: December 10, 2024

Having declared independence from South Africa in 1990, Namibia is one of the youngest independent states in Africa. A month prior to the country’s independence, the Constitution of Namibia had been adopted. Chapter III of the Constitution is dedicated to fundamental human rights and freedoms.

Human Rights Day / Namibian Women’s Day was created by the government of Namibia to raise awareness of the importance of protection of human rights, especially of the rights of the most vulnerable groups such as women and children. The holiday is marked by conferences, parades and other events focused on human rights and freedoms. Some are organized by local authorities, others are held by Namibian and international human rights and feminist organizations.

Although Namibia has a public holiday dedicated to human rights and women’s rights in particular, this country is notorious for human rights violations. For example, Namibia has strict abortion laws but there are no laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (moreover, sexual activity between men is illegal in Namibia, although the law has never been enforced). There’s also the problem of human trafficking, although the Namibian government has made some efforts to cope with it.