Realisation or oversight of a constitutional mandate. South africa, meanwhile, has one of the worlds highest rates of violence against women. South africa, including in particular, jamaica, uganda and zimbabwe,8 this paper focuses on corrective rape in south africa because of its prominence there, as well as the lack of information obtainable on corrective rape in other states. This report offers a critique of the terms corrective rape and curative rape and argues f. Corrective rape, the attempt to cure lesbians of their homosexuality, is escalating in severity in south africa. Gaika is a rarity in south africa, indeed in all of africa, as an openly gay woman. South africa has extremely high rates of sexual violence, and rape has been used in the country as a way to punish women who do not conform to normative ideals of femininity in different ways over time. Corrective rape on the rise in sa gay south africa online. Lake phd thesis, centre for africa studies, university of the free state the increased visibility of black lesbian identities in south africa has been met with a severe backlash in the form of what activists term corrective rape. Corrective rape, also called curative or homophobic rape, is a hate crime in which one or more people are raped because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. South africas corrective rape problem harvard political.
In south africa, activists are trying to get corrective rape, where men rape lesbians believing it can turn them straight, made a hate crime. Inside south africa s notorius pollsmoor prison duration. Corrective rape of lesbians in the era of transformative constitutionalism in south africa r koraan a geduld 1 introduction corrective rape refers to an instance when a woman is raped in order to cure her of her lesbianism. Corrective rape of lesbians in the era of transformative.
A continuing plight despite an international human rights response. Hiv in south africa is pandemic, and due to homophobia there is a lack of education about sexually transmitted diseases among lesbians. Every 26 seconds a woman in south africa sa is stripped of her dignity and becomes a contributing statistic 2 to one of the greatest instances of sexual violence in the world. The manifestation of violence that is enacted will be shown to. Corrective rape simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Corrective rape since 2000 there have been close to 40 lesbian women murdered and on average about ten lesbians are raped each week by men who subscribe to the view that they are correcting the. There are many health problems associated with corrective rape, and although some countries have laws protecting lgbt people, corrective rape. Corrective rape is a hate crime that for the most part goes unreported and unprosecuted in south africa. They include sexual assault, rape, torture and murder, as well as.
Jul 26, 20 over two years, it became evident to me that multiple layers of south african society were responsible for the epidemic of corrective rape and that bias, apathy and culpability ran deeper than i could have imagined. Corrective rape is a term used to describe when a man rapes a lesbian with the aim of turning her heterosexual. They include sexual assault, rape, torture and murder, as well as denial of employment, education and other basic rights. Corrective rape of black african lesbians in south africa lea mwambene senior lecturer, faculty of law, university of the western cape, south africa maudri wheal candidate attorney, bern rautenbach attorneys, cape town, south africa summary corrective rape is a form of sexual punishment by men towards lesbians in. Sep 09, 20 the brutality of corrective rape in south africa in south africa, instances of rape are all too frequentone in every four male citizens admits to having nonconsensual intercourse. The common intended consequence of the rape, as seen by the perpetrator, is to turn the person heterosexual or to enforce conformity with gender stereotypes the term corrective rape was coined in south africa after wellknown cases of corrective rapes of. More than 10 lesbians are raped weekly to correct their sexual preferences, as estimated by luleki sizwe, a south african nonprofit. South africa slow to respond to cases of corrective rape. In 2008, triangle, a gay rights organization, said they collected up to 10 cases of corrective rape a week, whilst research showed that 86% of black lesbians in the western cape lived in the fear of sexual assault. In south africa approximately 10% of lesbians are hiv positive, with corrective rape being the most likely cause. Corrective rape in south africa the systematic sexual assault of lesbian women in south africa. Charged with rape, the 43yearold man is scheduled to go to court on march 15.
The term was coined in south africa after wellknown cases of corrective rapes of lesbians like eudy simelane and zoliswa nkonyana became public. Oct 27, 2011 africa corrective rape in south africa. Corrective rape is a real practice in south africa. The victims of corrective rape in south africa ebony. In a country strongly influenced by traditional cultures and religious groups, corrective rape is a reaction to protect the status quo women are forced to. Jun 02, 2015 for every 25 men brought to trial for rape, 24 will walk free a poignant reminder of the aggressive masculinity that colours the social and political landscape of south africa. Corrective rape, the belief that heterosexual rape can cure or correct a womans homosexuality, is known to be common in south africa, although the exact number of incidents is impossible to calculate. During 201516, there were 51,895 crimes of a sexual nature reported to the south african police service. Recently, however, these sexual assaults have taken on a new character. Lake phd thesis, centre for africa studies, university of the free state the increased visibility of black lesbian identities in south africa has been met with a severe backlash in. The real violence of corrective rape, then, is that despite south africas legal success in protecting gay rights and despite the promise of a postapartheid south africa that values human rights, the government has not done enough to stop corrective rape. One lesbian and gay support group says it is dealing with 10 new cases of lesbian women being targeted for corrective rape every week in cape town alone. Sexual violence and corrective rape in south africa. Oct 29, 2014 in south africa, the horrendous hate crime of corrective rapein which a gay woman is raped to change her sexualityis destroying the lives of lesbian women in the townships.
Csvr adopts a multidisciplinary approach to understand and prevent violence, heal its effects, and build sustainable peace locally, continentally, and globally. There have been numerous incidents of corrective rape of lesbians in recent years. This article examines the adequacy of the existing south african legal framework to deal with incidents of corrective rape against the background of transformative constitutionalism. Oct 27, 2011 in south africa, activists are trying to get corrective rape, where men rape lesbians believing it can turn them straight, made a hate crime. Support groups say that a shameful record of violence against women has. This paper will explore various incidences of corrective rape in postapartheid south africa. The homophobic fallout of postapartheid south africa south africa has one of the highest rates of rape in the world including corrective rape used to cure lesbian women. This heinous crime is prolific in south africa, especially in the townships.
The various definitions of transformative constitutionalism and an understanding of heteronormativity are explored. Lesbians subjected to corrective rape in south africa, telegraph. As for the act of corrective rape itself, according to the article, 10 new cases of corrective rape occur every week. And since her attack, which took place in 2009, she has become something of an icon in the battle against the south african phenomenon called corrective rape. Over two years, it became evident to me that multiple layers of south african society were responsible for the epidemic of corrective rape and that bias, apathy and culpability ran deeper than i could have imagined. The rise of corrective rape in south africa sexual orientation and human rights human rights violations targeted at people because of their sexual orientation are a global phenomenon. There is no separate category for corrective rape in the law, which means incidents are not officially recorded. Mar 09, 2010 rape is fast becoming the most widespread hate crime targeted against gay women in townships across south africa. In an article on the criminal classification of corrective rape, published by the open society initiative for southern africa in its journal buwa. However, rape in south africa is a universal issue that does not only affect lesbian. Corrective rape is a hate crime in which one or more people are raped because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
Their attackers believe that if lesbian women are raped they will learn to be straight or normal again. Dec 27, 2019 in south africa approximately 10% of lesbians are hiv positive, with corrective rape being the most likely cause. South africas corrective rape culture 2015 youtube. The rate of sexual violence in south africa is among the highest in the world. The journal on african womens experiences, there have been more than 31 reported cases of corrective rape in south africa that resulted in the death of the victim since 1998, with just two convictions. Annual survey of international and comparative law 18. There are many health problems associated with corrective rape, and although some countries have laws protecting lgbt people, corrective rape is often overlooked.
Most of the victims are tortured, grievously assaulted and sometimes murdered. Corrective rape, as it is called, has claimed many victims in south africa and around the world. Corrective rape as an antilesbian hate crime in south african law has not received much attention from authors. Corrective rape simple english wikipedia, the free. Jan 04, 2014 corrective rape is a hate crime wielded to convert lesbians to heterosexuality an attempt to cure them of being gay. Corrective rape is a hate crime wielded to convert lesbians to heterosexuality an attempt to cure them of being gay. In 2008, a south african lesbian soccer player training for the world cup was raped and murdered in a crime known as corrective rape. Mar 21, 2009 south africa corrective rape yegoblynqueenne. Sexual violence is the use of force or manipulation to get someone to engage in unwanted sexual activity without their consent. More than 42,000 rapes were reported in 2015 alone. The brutality of corrective rape in south africa in south africa, instances of rape are all too frequentone in every four male citizens admits to having nonconsensual intercourse. The need for a closer analysis of the existing legislative framework is necessary to assess the need for further protection for lesbian women against corrective rape.
The common intended consequence of the rape, as seen by the perpetrator, is to turn the person heterosexual or to enforce conformity with gender stereotypes the term corrective rape was coined in south africa after. Despite that fact though, women in south africa daily suffer from incidents of rape and corrective. Corrective rape survivors interviewed by actionaid for the report hate crimes. In south africa, the horrendous hate crime of corrective rapein which a gay woman is raped to change her sexualityis destroying the lives of lesbian women in the townships. Centre for the study of violence and reconciliation centre. According to human rights watch, in the last 20 years, attitudes toward homosexuality have become worse in south africa. In 1996, two years after the formal end of apartheid, south africas new constitution became the first in the world to include provisions of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation. The rate of murder, sexual offences and assault has risen in south africa. The term, believed to originate in south africa due to. Man on trial in south africa for corrective rape of. This article examines the adequacy of the existing south african legal framework to deal with incidents of. Corrective rape and black lesbian sexualities in contemporary. Specifically, corrective rape, an odd concept originating in south africa to refer to the rape of lesbians, has gained notoriety.
Symbolic violence and power coincide within the evolving structures of social imaginaries. Pdf corrective rape of black lesbian women in post. In an article on, it was reported that over 31 incidents of corrective rape in south africa have led to the death of the victim, and of those 31 cases, only two have resulted in convictions. The need for a closer analysis of the existing legislative framework is necessary to assess the need for. The term was coined in south africa in the early 2000s when charity. The crime has also resulted in the brutal killings of some victims, including the particularly wellknown case of former south african soccer star, eudy simelane, who was gang raped and stabbed to death in 2008 because of her sexual orientation. Corrective rape and black lesbian sexualities in contemporary south african cultural texts n. Hate crime call for corrective rape receives boost in. Feb 28, 20 south africa has extremely high rates of sexual violence, and rape has been used in the country as a way to punish women who do not conform to normative ideals of femininity in different ways over time. We summarise data on eight categories of crime from the polices statistics for april 2018 to march 2019.