Rape A Serious, Serious Problem In South Africa
Posted by: Nikki Dowling
Filed in:
news
11:40AM, Monday August 3rd 2009
In South Africa, lesbians have it tough. There’s a whole category of heinous crimes there known as “corrective rape,” where power trippin’ men who rape lesbians to turn them straight or just to punish them for their preferences. Corrective rapes happen all the time, yet only 31 cases have been reported since 1998. Why? Because women don’t trust the system and don’t want to out themselves. Of those 31 reported cases, two have made it to trial and there has been just one measly conviction. But hopefully, that sad number is about to double. On Wednesday, three a-holes who raped openly gay football sportswoman, Eudy Simelane, will go to trial and the outcome of the case will send a very strong message—hopefully in the right direction.
But it isn’t just lesbians who get raped in South Africa. Over 54,000 gang rapes are reported each year, making it one of the countries with the highest rate of sexual violence in the world. Dudes have disgusting tactics for pulling off gang rapes. Some men travel in packs, preying on one woman at a bar. Other dudes take a girl home and have their friend hide under the bed while they do the dirty deed. After, the friend has a go. The men think the woman doesn’t notice that they are switching it up because the room is dark.
The root of the problem is, South African men are raised to be uber macho. The idea that women are inferior to men is enforced by the government as well as people’s families and friends. The inequality makes it easier for men to justify their crimes. One rapist said, “It’s not about her, we bought her drinks, you know how drinks are expensive.” Another jerkface said, “We can’t say it’s gang rape because, OK, I know sometimes we have to drug the girl and everything, but it does not happen all the time.”
These reasons are so stupid, I’m not even going to dignify them with a response. But, feel free to vent your feelings. Just try not to punch a hole in your computer screen. [BBC]
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Kiki T
wrote on August 3 2009 @ 11:22 am: [report]
That is disgusting…I never heard of corrective rape before, WTF! between this, genital mutilation, men in India burning their wives to death because they aren’t getting sons out of them, etc. it just shows how much farther we have to go despite where we all think we are.
_jsw_
wrote on August 3 2009 @ 11:32 am: [report]
@Kiki T: I completely agree. It’s disgusting and yet another sign of just how uncivilized many really are. These things happen everywhere, unfortunately, but the cultures and countries that turn a blind eye, or, much worse, encourage it are especially despicable.
I was about to write about how it’s important for our country to stay strong so we can use our influence to stop things like this, and then I started thinking about all the human rights abuses we ourselves have officially condoned, especially in recent years.
kaweah
wrote on August 3 2009 @ 12:00 pm: [report]
25% of South Africa men admit to having raped a woman.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/17/south-africa-rape-survey
Things are bad here in the States, but I really do think they are improving. Men are less likely to be raised with the sense of entitlement that they once were.
But, yes, “corrective rape” of lesbians, feminists and women who in earlier days were seen as “frigid” was once part of the cultural landscape. While such rapes were condemned by most persons, some segments of society thought it acceptable. Thankfully, that is less so now.
At least I think so.
Coral
wrote on August 3 2009 @ 01:52 pm: [report]
Yes, the rapes going on in South Africa and the rest of the world are terrible and disgusting. But we rarely look at our country and evaluate all the terrible things that go on. The same thing goes on in the U.S. Many rapes and crimes go unreported, people are shamed and shunned, and people live dirt-poor in the U.S. We are not immune to any such crimes, and we rarely look at it, or even try to fix and correct the problems. We tend to look at other countries and forget about our own problems and the suffering that goes on everyday within our country.