South Africa is in shock over a surge in the rape of...
South Africa is in shock over a surge in the rape of children and even babies, fuelled by a myth that sex with a virgin will protect a man against AIDS, activists said
South Africa is in shock over a surge in the rape of children and even babies, fuelled by a myth that sex with a virgin will protect a man against AIDS, activists said.
When six men appeared in court in the Northern Cape town of Upington for the rape of a nine-month-old girl, some 3,000 protesters demonstrated outside demanding the reinstatement of the death penalty for the alleged attackers.
"South Africa has reached a new low...it's one case of many," said Kelly Hatfield, director of a group called People Opposed to Women Abuse (POWA).
"A lot of it is to do with the myth that a man will be cured of AIDS by having sex with a virgin, and how much more virginal can you get than a baby?"
South Africa has the world's highest incidence of rape.
When six men appeared in court in the Northern Cape town of Upington for the rape of a nine-month-old girl, some 3,000 protesters demonstrated outside demanding the reinstatement of the death penalty for the alleged attackers.
"South Africa has reached a new low...it's one case of many," said Kelly Hatfield, director of a group called People Opposed to Women Abuse (POWA).
"A lot of it is to do with the myth that a man will be cured of AIDS by having sex with a virgin, and how much more virginal can you get than a baby?"
South Africa has the world's highest incidence of rape.
— SOURCES
- (Sources: Reuters, 05/11/2001)