This isn't really a blog intended to discuss women's rights and rape (though I have a lot lately), but a friend of mine sent me an email about her shock of Zuma supporters' behaviour outside the courts and the attitude of her colleagues (highly educated, at that), who believe that:
1. The accuser's sexual history has a bearing on whether she was raped or not
2. The fact that she was treated by a psychiatrist makes her an unreliable witness.
These are dangerous perceptions, that downplay the trauma of rape and the validity of a woman's testimony.
She rightly suggested that we use this time to discuss issues and perceptions around rape. You can find a very interesting link about rape in South Africa at the UCT Law, Race and Gender Unit . Go to "Research" and "Sexual Offences".
Some horrific statistics state for the last 10 years the average number of reported rapes is 50 000 (which is always less than the true amount). "Further its been reported that in 2000 of the 52,975 rape cases reported countrywide only 8,297 went to trial with fewer than half of those (7% of reported cases) resulting in guilty verdict." UCT Law, Race and Gender Unit
No comments:
Post a Comment