Rape used as lesbian 'cure'
2009-03-14 07:38
Johannesburg - Gangs of South
African men are raping lesbians in the belief it will "cure"
the women's sexual orientation, an aid agency said on Friday.
NGO ActionAid said in a report titled "Hate Crimes: the rise of
corrective rape in South Africa" lesbians were increasingly at
risk of rape, particularly in South African townships where
homosexuality is largely taboo.
South Africa has one of the world's most progressive
constitutions and became the first country in Africa to allow
gay marriage in 2006, but homosexuality is still widely frowned
upon and same-sex unions are often decried as "un-African".
The brutal rape and murder last year of female soccer
player Eudy Simelane, a lesbian, threw a spotlight on
homophobic violence, particularly toward women.
"We get insults every day, beatings if we walk alone, you
are constantly reminded that you deserve to be raped,"
ActionAid quoted one lesbian as saying. "They yell, 'if I rape
you then you will go straight, you will buy skirts and start to
cook because you will have learnt how to be a real woman'."
One lesbian and gay support group told ActionAid it was
dealing with 10 new cases of lesbians being targeted for what
it called "corrective rape" every week in Cape Town alone.
Thirty one lesbians have been reported murdered in
homophobic attacks since 1998, but support groups say the
actual number is probably much higher because crimes on the
basis of sexual orientation are not recognised in the South
African criminal justice system, ActionAid said.
Of the 31 cases, only two cases were brought to South
African courts and there has been only one conviction. South
Africa has one of the world highest rates of rape but activists
say very few cases end in conviction, and women's groups say
police and the justice system have failed to tackle the
problem.
ActionAid estimates there are 500 000 rapes in South Africa
every year.
It said the police were particularly reluctant to
investigate crimes against lesbians and said support for
survivors was inadequate.