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1 in 5 SA men a rapist
25/10/2006 07:36 - (SA)
Clair Reddie
Johannesburg - Shocking findings of a report by the SA Medical Research Council (MRC) show that a staggering 20% of men aged 15-26 admit having raped at least once. The average age of the country's young rapists - 17-years-old. But the full truth is even more appalling than that... experts say the "actual" figure is even higher. The MRC study reveals statistics only on men who admit to the crime. The findings did not come as any surprise to women's organisations who work at the front of South Africa's ever-escalating rape nightmare.
Real figure is much higher
The MRC report says out of the 1 370 men who took part in the study, 1 in every 5 had raped a woman. "These figures are hardly surprising, considering the high number of women who are being raped in South Africa every day," said Carrie Shelver, spokesperson for People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA). She said, however, the actual numbers were probably much higher than the 20% reported by MRC. "What is really frightening is how seldom people are prepared to admit that any lack of consent is rape." She said were it not for this misunderstanding, the reported numbers would be far higher. Shelver said the average age of 17 for a first-time rapist was also "not that surprising". "It is scary, and in some cases we have even seen boys as young as eight-years-old commit rape." She said a worrying trend was the large number of school-going boys committing rape. "This should prompt the department of education to become more proactive in educating children about rape. They need to be held even more accountable." The National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO) was also not shocked at the statistics. "They are extraordinarily high and point to the fact that there is lot of work to be done in communities and schools," said Venessa Padayachee, National Programmes Specialist at Nicro's Victim Support Services.
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