By Charlene Smith
Police reported this week that they were achieving success in combating most crimes, but not rape. Jackie Selebi, the national police commissioner, said there were 115,3 cases per 100 000 people in 1994, compared with 113,7 in 2003/04.
Selebi said rape statistics might be exaggerated because many rape cases were reported on a Friday and Saturday night, only to be withdrawn on a Monday.
It's the withdrawal of cases that bears closer examination, because it says nothing about women "lying" about rape as the ignorant might believe, but it says everything about a society that fails women and children and is allowing HIV/Aids to proliferate without check.
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75 percent of rape in South Africa is gang rape
South Africa has the highest rates of rape in the world, according to Interpol, and the highest incidence of HIV. The National Prosecuting Authority tells us that 50 percent of all cases before South African courts are for rape, except in Durban and Mdantsane, where it is 60 percent.
Although the Law Reform Commission estimates there are 1,7 million rapes a year, on average only 54 000 rape survivors lay charges each year. Why? It is because rape survivors are treated so badly by so many.
Every time a rape survivor does not lay a charge, she allows a rapist or rapists - because 75 percent of rape in South Africa is gang rape - to believe he or they can do it again. And he or they will. Again and again, until a rape survivor does battle with the police, doctors, psychologists and the courts to get the justice she deserves, and to protect the next woman
or child.
A Medical Research Council study into conditions for rape survivors in Gauteng in 2002 found that the treatment of survivors by police and medical and court personnel was deplorable. Two researchers were so traumatised by what they witnessed that they had to go for counselling.
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