A/HRC/24/41/Add.1
Education
92.
The Special Rapporteur takes note with satisfaction of the high level of
attention that Namibia has given to education since independence. The Government
should also be commended for its progressive laws and policies regarding mothertongue and culturally appropriate education.
93.
However, more needs to be done to address the troubling educational situation of
San and Himba groups in particular, whose members continue to lag behind in
educational attainment relative to other groups. In this connection, Namibia should
work to remove the barriers that are keeping the San, Himba and other groups from
accessing education, including in relation to school development fees, distances from
schools, and bullying faced in schools. Himba people should not be forced to abandon
their traditional, semi-nomadic way of life in order to gain access to education, and thus
the Government should strengthen efforts to provide mobile schools in remote areas.
94.
The Government should make greater efforts to respond to the problems facing
indigenous women and girls and investigate any allegations of sexual abuse of
indigenous girls in schools.
Health
95.
The Government should make concerted efforts to address the structural
factors contributing to the health problems suffered by indigenous peoples in the
country, including poverty and a lack of access to their traditional lands and natural
resources. Measures also need to be taken to combat discrimination against
indigenous peoples in health centres and to ensure that those people who use their own
language can communicate with and understand medical staff.
96.
Namibia must strengthen efforts to collect data disaggregated by ethnicity in
order to appropriately identify, monitor and evaluate health services provided to
disadvantaged indigenous peoples.
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