Some news are so horrifying one can hardly believe one’s eyes. Like in this instance:
Lesbians living in South Africa are being raped by men who believe it will ‘cure’ them of their sexual orientation, a report has revealed.
Women are reporting a rising tide of brutal homophobic attacks and murders and the widespread use of ‘corrective’ rape as a form of punishment.
The report, commissioned by international NGO ActionAid, called for South Africa’s criminal justice system to recognise the rapes as hate crimes as police are reportedly failing to take action over the spiralling violence.
Horrific crimes against lesbians in South Africa are reportedly going unrecognised by the state and unpunished by the legal system
The extent of the brutality became clear when Eudy Simelane, former star of South Africa’s national female football squad, became one of the victims last April.
Simelane, one of the first women to live openly as a lesbian and an equality rights campaigner, was gang-raped and beaten before being stabbed to death 25 times in the face, chest and legs.
Eudy Simelane died after being gang-raped, beaten and stabbed 25 times
Triangle, a gay rights organisation, said it deals with up to 10 new cases of ‘corrective rape’ every week.
Okay. First, rape is not a “hate” crime. It’s a crime, period. Doesn’t matter why you rape. It matters that you rape. Second, what the heck kind of “culture” puts up with idiots “explaining” that rape will “cure” homosexuality? (“Oh yeah, so far you weren’t interested in men and that’s because you hadn’t been raped… let us show you how nice men can be.”) This is by no means the first disturbingly outrageous thing coming out of that country. Yet authorities there are, at best, sluggish to respond. I don’t have a solution. The only thing I can think of at the moment is adding my voice to those demanding an end to the brutal mistreatment of South African women so that is what I am doing. If you have a better suggestion, please send it in.
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If you have a better suggestion, please send it in.
Bombs. Lots and lots of bombs.
I was shocked to learn of the so-called “corrective” rape of lesbian women in South Africa. These women are targetted because they are perceived as representing a direct threat to a male-dominated society.
“Corrective” rape survivors interviewed by ActionAid (global NGO) were told by their abusers that they were “teaching [them] a lesson” and “showing [them] how to be real women and what a man tasted like”.
If your interested ActionAid have produced a report:
http://www.actionaid.org.uk/doc_lib/correctiveraperep_final.pdf
on Hate Crimes in South Africa. ActionAid are committed to fighting for women’s rights as part of their struggle against global poverty.