January 5, 2014
Rape is being used by South African men as a tool to “cure” women of their lesbianism. At the beginning of the 2000′s, as charities there began to notice a rapid increase in these types of attacks, the act became known as “corrective rape.”
The term refers to an attempt to “cure” lesbians of their homosexuality through rape. Although awareness of the attacks has grown, the numbers of corrective rape attacks continue to increase in number and in severity. Interviews with victims are rife with accounts of the use of weapons, such as stones, knives and sticks. One woman reported being raped with a broomstick. There are at least 31 reports of women who have died from such attacks within the past 15 years. One theory for the increase in attacks is that homophobia in South Africa itself is becoming more prevalent.
One victim, Mvuleni Fana, recounted her harrowing tale of rape to the British newspaper, The Independent. She described being raped by a gang of men who she had seen before. After the attack, just before falling into unconsciousness […]
South Africa Today – South Africa News
