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Fact of Life: Rape Culture This might seem like just one person’s subjective opinion. But if you look up the facts, they will stun you even more. If you have a daughter, think about her. Then think about this: One out of three South African girls will be raped before she turns 18. Almost three out of four South African women have been sexually abused at least once. South African women have a greater cha nce of being raped than of graduating from high school. What kind of country is this? Where is the outcry? Why isn’t this all over the news? Why aren’t women’s groups crying out at the top of their lungs? Why aren’t people demonstrating? This is South Af rica, a country considered modern and civilized. Now it has descended — without much fuss, apparently — into a jungle of chaos. Yet even South Africans don’t really understand what is happening to their country. They feel the temperature rising, but seem dull ed to the danger. One recent study examined about 250 reported rapes from 2005 to 2007 that occurred in the vicinity of one small town. More than half of the reported victims were children. Yet, only nine of the accused were convicted. Only seven received jail sentences. Two hundred and fifty rapists — seven convicted. Yet, no media firestorm. No international protest. The incomprehensible has become a fact of life for South Africans. They have a saying for this: Only in Africa. Several men were accused of five or six rapes, according to the study’s authors. Not one was convicted. Only in Africa. An astounding 66,000 rapes occur in South Africa each year — one every four minutes. Interpol says this makes South Africa the rape capit al of the world. According to experts, rape is so common, justice is so rarely served, and so many women have been raped so many times that many women don’t bother reporting it. That’s just the way it is in South Africa. Earlier this year, it was reveale d that a police constable was still working for the force even though he had been accused of 14 rapes over the past two years — some of which allegedly took place while he was in uniform. That follows the arrest of a police officer accused of raping a 14 - yea r - old boy, and another officer accused of raping a woman who came to the police station to report a crime. Log on to South Africa’s Independent Police Investigative Directorate website (http://www.ipid.gov.za/media_statements/media_statements.asp) and see for yourself. In September, two constables were arrested for rape, one of them for raping a female inmate. In August, a captain was arrested on rape charges. In July, four more constables were arrested for various rapes, one for multiple counts. Another p olice captain was arrested for raping a woman in his police car and threatening to kill her and her family if she reported it. And a 41 Next

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