Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus on Monday officially received the United Nations Population Individual Laureate Award during the celebration of World Population Day at Rundu.
The State of World Population Report 2022 was simultaneously launched at the occasion.
Theofelus received the individual award for her work advocating for women’s empowerment and adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Namibia.
The UN Population Award has honoured individuals and institutions for their outstanding contributions to population, development and reproductive health since 1983.
Her award consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize of N.dollars 200 000.
In her acceptance speech, Theofelus said when she joined the African Youth and Adolescents Network (AfriYan) as an adolescent she knew she wanted to build a Namibia/Africa that was more responsive to issues affecting adolescents and youth.
“The realities of teenage pregnancy from the time I was in primary school were too real for me to ignore. The stigma these teenage mothers faced was too much to bear,” she said.
Theofelus said it is not right that young people are not capacitated with enough information about their sexual lives so that they may have options and have the ability to make smarter decisions.
The deputy minister thanked President Hage Geingob for appointing her to be member of Parliament as it is through this exercise that she was able to table a motion on 09 May 2021, asking for the complete removal or reduction of tax on sanitary pads in efforts to make them more affordable to the Namibian girl and women.
According to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report, Theofelus said one in 10 African girls misses 5 to 6 school days due to their period.
“This puts an unequal and unfair burden on the girl child and exposes them to many other societal risks by staying out of school,” she stated.
The deputy minister who is the youngest ever winner of the award said it is her conviction and pledge to redouble her efforts and collaborate with others in ensuring that ‘period poverty’ is one day eradicated.
Additionally she vowed to play a pivotal role in addressing larger population matters such as sexual and gender-based violence, child marriages and teenage pregnancies.
Theofelus dedicated her award to the people of Namibia, especially the young women and girls who continue to break barriers and “hold their own in a world that does not put them first”.