Reaching a new low

An unpopular truth

[Reprinted from Issues & Views November 19, 2001]

Who or what is there left to blame for the current horror now taking place in South Africa? What's to be done when incomprehensible, malevolent superstitions and gross ignorance turn men into menaces against those who most need their protection? Can the behavior of thousands of grown men who have systematically raped thousands of children, many under the age of 7, be blamed on colonialism, the vestiges of colonialism, neo-colonialism, or Apartheid?

As the AIDS virus infects men across Africa, the superstitious belief that the ailment can be cured by having sex with a virgin continues to grow. The quest to rape younger and younger children (to insure the child's virgin status) goes beyond any conventional notions of child abuse. London's Telegraph has this to report:

The alleged rape of a nine-month-old baby girl by six men in a remote part of rural South Africa last week has focused the nation on an 80 per cent rise in child sexual abuse over a year, much of it connected with the country's Aids pandemic.

More than 67,000 cases of rape and sexual assaults against children were reported last year, compared with 37,500 in 1998. Child welfare groups believe that the number of unreported incidents could be up to 10 times that number. Some of the victims were as young as six-months-old, a number of whom died from their injuries, while others contracted HIV. The largest increase in attacks has been against children under seven. . . .

Cati Vawda, the director of the Children's Rights Centre in Durban, said: "There is a belief across South Africa that a virgin will cure a man of HIV or Aids. We have no idea where this idea has come from, but it has been around for a few years and has certainly taken hold." Kelly Hatfield, of People Opposed to Women Abused, added: "South Africa has reached a new low. This rumour certainly has become a common belief."

In a sad acknowledgment of the tragic reality of ongoing rape, a new service has emerged. Reuters reports:

A healthcare company on Wednesday launched a low-cost rape insurance scheme in South Africa, which faces the highest incidence of sexual assault. The 15 rand (US$1.58) per month policy offered by LifeSense Group, a private South African company, aims to help victims deal with the trauma of being raped, especially by an attacker who was suspected to be HIV positive.

With an estimated 5 million South Africans living with HIV/AIDS, sexual assault can be a death sentence for victims if they are not treated shortly after the attack. The LifeSense-AIG scheme is promoted as an affordable alternative to costly medical insurance, the preserve of salaried workers at leading firms. Those covered by the scheme can receive a 28-day programme of AIDS drugs after an assault to cut the risk of catching the deadly disease.

A women's rights activist is quoted by Reuters saying, "South Africa has a history of violence, we communicate through violence and it will be a long time before we move away from that."

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