Overview of Human Rights in Namibia

The Republic of Namibia is a multiparty democracy.  International monitors considered recent elections to be generally free, albeit with some irregularities.

While income disparity between white and black citizens, as well as high levels of unemployment in the black community, do pose serious challenges to the government, in general the government works to respect the civil and human rights of all citizens. In recent years, there were only a few areas where serious abuses were reported. 

Racial and ethnic discrimination as well as serious disparities in income, education, healthcare, and working conditions remain serious problems in the region. Indigenous people are often discriminated against. Child labor and human trafficking are also problems of growing concern.

The police and security forces uses excessive force against suspects and detainees. Some incidences have resulted in major injuries and death. While not as common, some Namibian security forces have also been known to kill civilians. Most perpetrators act with impunity.

Problems with arbitrary arrest, heavy case backlog, lengthy pretrial detention, and long trial delays continue to plague the judiciary. Resource constraints as well as pressure from the executive branch contribute to these issues. The government consistently attempts to pressure the media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) not to criticize the political system in place.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

125th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.