The State of the World's Human Rights; Namibia 2025

Indigenous Peoples continued to be denied reparatory justice for genocide committed during Germany’s colonial rule. Climate change-related droughts exacerbated hardship, while authorities withdrew drought relief support. Rates of gender-based violence remained high, and reproductive rights were restricted. New legislation imposed harsh prison sentences for anyone officiating same-sex unions. Access to essential health services was reduced for LGBTI people and other groups.

Indigenous Peoples’ rights

On 28 May, Namibia commemorated its inaugural Genocide Remembrance Day, marking the massacre of the Ovaherero and Nama Peoples by German colonial forces between 1904 and 1908. Despite ongoing discussions between the Namibian and German governments, Germany continued to deny its legal duty to provide reparations to Nama and Ovaherero descendants for crimes committed during the colonial period, when an estimated 80% of the Ovaherero and 50% of the Nama populations were killed. Women and girls were systematically subjected to sexual violence, including rape. The skulls of prisoners who died in Germany’s colonial prison camps were shipped to German universities and museums for racist pseudo-scientific research. The descendent communities remained a minority in Namibia, leaving them politically unrepresented and with few opportunities for political influence. They faced a lack of meaningful and effective participation in reparations negotiations, and no provision of reparations or return of most of their ancestral remains and cultural artefacts taken by Germany during the genocide.¹

Right to a healthy environment

From 2024 severe drought conditions attributed to climate change continued to affect large parts of Namibia, adversely affecting crop production and rural livelihoods. Despite this, the authorities ended the drought relief programme that had provided food assistance, livestock support and marketing incentives for approximately 1.4 million people in 384,935 households.

The government did not incorporate assessments of adaptation needs, or of losses and damages suffered by communities displaced internally or across borders due to the prolonged drought, into Namibia’s climate strategies or submissions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Authorities continued to return hundreds of Angolan nationals fleeing severe drought in southern Angola, raising concerns about refoulement and the absence of humanitarian safeguards.

Women’s and girls’ rights

Authorities estimated that there were at least 400 reported gender-based violence cases each month.

Legislation restricting sexual and reproductive rights remained in force, outlawing abortion except under certain conditions, including where the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, or would endanger the mother’s life. The law required that the procedure, which was permissible only in state-controlled facilities, be certified by two doctors.

A woman faced prosecution after she was arrested in Walvis Bay for suspected possession of abortion pills.

LGBTI people’s rights

The government’s appeal against a 2024 High Court ruling, which found legislation criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults to be unconstitutional and discriminatory, remained pending before the Supreme Court.

The Marriage Act of December 2024 defined marriage as the union between two people of opposite sexes. Under the act, anyone officiating for same-sex unions faced up to two years’ imprisonment.

Authorities failed to address widespread hate speech and online harassment targeting LGBTI people.

Right to health

Transgender people, sex workers and people living with HIV faced prejudice and exclusion from public services. Meanwhile, the US government’s reduction in funding for USAID impacted health programmes, including mobile and community-based clinics for HIV treatment.

1. “Namibia: Germany must deliver reparatory justice for its brutal colonial past”, 2 October ↩︎

Associated documents