Children’s Ombudsman Ingrid Hasselmann unpacks the implications of the death of five year old Ingrid Maasdorp
April 16, 2025
A petition demanding justice for five-year-old Ingrid Maasdorp—who was raped and murdered in Okahandja last month—has stirred renewed public outrage over the growing number of unresolved child murder cases in Namibia.
The petition, initiated by youth activist Kashivi Shingungu, has so far garnered more than 4 000 signatures, underscoring widespread frustration with what many believe is a continued failure by law enforcement to protect vulnerable children and bring perpetrators to justice.
Maasdorp was last seen alive at K.W. Von Marees Combined School in Okahandja. She was reported missing after her grandmother got concerned that she had not returned from school on March 20. Her lifeless body was discovered the following day beneath a bridge in the Veddersdal area.
Children’s Ombudsman, Ingrid Hasselmann, joined us to unpack this.
