Gender Violence

The incidence of rape and sexual violence in South Africa is amongst the highest in the world. Gender based violence is a major driver of the HIV epidemic and causes extreme suffering. This week’s stories remind us that sexual violence can affect anyone irrespective of age or gender. We also examine how police and support services respond to rape and ask what is being done to improve such efforts.

In KZN Thenjiwe Mkhize describes the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband. Her ordeal included being forced to have sex soon after giving birth, sharing a bed with her husband’s mistress and his refusal to wear a condom. For Thenjiwe one of the hardest experiences was the struggle to shake-off cultural and social attitudes that say women should be patient and not cross a man and that what happens between a husband and wife is private.

 
In Gauteng a young man speaks of being attacked and raped by a gang of boys because he was gay. Like Thenjiwe he tried to report the crime to the police but was laughed at and ignored: ‘men cannot be raped,’ they said. In our studio experts from the SAPS and Rape Crisis speak of the need to educate communities to eliminate such ignorance and to counsel those who suffer rape to eliminate the shame. This must be joined by efforts to improve law enforcement and protect those who suffer to ensure people are able to come forward and report crimes.