The Rape of a Culture
“A female born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped in her lifetime than learning how to read” (Meier). In December of 2007, South Africa established a law called the Sexual Offences and Related Matter Amendment Act, No. 32, stating the new definitions and repercussions of rape and sexual violence (Shukumisa). It has been eight years since this law has been activated, yet the conditions for the citizens of South Africa have only gotten worse. Just walking down the streets of the downtown areas is putting themselves at risk for rape. The overall conditions of South Africa have only led to more sexual violence.
Rape is common in South Africa because of the ages that are being victimized. Starting from an infant, people are at risk of being raped. There was a case in 2001 where a 9-month-old baby was left unattended by her mom and raped by six men. There was another incident of a young girl that died after her own father had raped her (Meier). The rape committers don’t realize how much damage they can cause until after the ‘deed’ is done. One statistic from Irin stated that 7.7 percent of all of them men that have committed rape have raped more than 10 girls. Many believe that people rape younger children because it can help them rid of AIDS. Eileen Meier revealed that 18% of 498 workers think that having sex with a virgin will help defeat AIDS. It has been stated that “desperate people are desperate for a cure” (Meier). People will rape the defenseless just for a cure to their disease.
Rape is also very common in South Africa because of the police forces. It was surveyed that out of 100 police crimes that were committed, 26 of them were rape cases (Conway-Smith). Because the police in South Africa have so much power, they will ‘arrest’ women, bring them to a private area, and rape them. The victims would then be set free as if nothing happened. A reporter said that “it is often with good reason that the public fear the police” (Conway-Smith). The police hold every citizens’ lives in their hands and the citizens themselves don’t want to risk losing.
Even when new laws and protocals are set into place, most of them do not make a difference for people that are victims of rape. There is rape going on every day yet no one really ever sees it. Sexual voilence needs to be more publicised in order for everyone to be aware of it. South Africa has struggeld with this issue for decades and probably will continue to for much longer.
*Though there are many statistics that people use, all data is not reliable because not everyone reports when there has been a rape.
Work Cited:
"The problem of rape in Africa; South Africa, in particular, is almost alone in the sheer numbers of rapists there." Spectator [Hamilton, Ontario]
Meier, Eileen. "Medscape Log In." Medscape Log In. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
"The Definition of Rape and Consent." Shukumisa. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015
Wow, it's so terrible that things like that happen on a daily basis in South Africa. I thought that your hook was really good, it really brought the reader in and made me really interested. I think it's crazy to see how, yes there is also rape here in the U.S., but I feel like the circumstances with the rapes in South Africa are so severe.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that they think raping a virgin will cure aids?
ReplyDeleteIts just absolutely disgusting to think that 6 men would rape a 9 year old infant. It makes me sick. Do the victims ever speak out? How has it affected their lives and especially romantic relationships?
ReplyDeleteIt is sickening to even hear an infant being taken advantage of, but enraging when it is by 6 men. What happened to the infant of 9 months? If people are aware that this is happening, what is being done about it?
ReplyDeleteYour hook is very gripping. I thought rape in mexico and near the border was terrible but this is straight up inhuman. Other than the new law has there been any attempts to put an end to this?
ReplyDeleteYour hook was very shocking and did a good job of grabbing the readers attention. It is crazy to think about how common this is in Africa because we are from the US. Has anything, other than that one law, been done to combat this issue?
ReplyDeleteYour hook is on point, it really draws me into the article. The facts are really interesting, horrifying but interesting. The fact that people are raping infants and people they believe to not have aides to cure their disease is so dumbfounding to us in our society in America, but they don't know better. These issues lead back to the lack of education and many other resources people in Africa just don't have. Good job audz;) Who started this rumor that aids can be cured by having sex with a virgin?
ReplyDeleteThe way you started your article was very powerful and eye opening. The fact that there are people out there who would rape women just because they think it will cure them of AIDS or HIV is truly terrible and disturbing. It also pains me to hear that police officers are raping women because they can. I wonder how many women are afraid that if they speak they will be punished for what happened.
ReplyDelete