On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 16:08:52 -0700, "S. L'Gree"
<put_your_b@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
>AIDS cure beliefs fuel child rape
>
>By Shapi Shacinda
>
>LUSAKA (Reuters) - A myth is fuelling a heinous crime across southern
>Africa.
>
>It goes like this: if you want to succeed at work or cure yourself of
>AIDS, you need to have sex with a minor or one of your own children.
>
>The result has been a surge in reported cases of child rape,
>particularly in Zambia, a scourge that has shaken this deeply
>Christian country of 10 million people to its core.
>
>About one in five Zambian adults has the HIV virus that leads to AIDS;
>around 22 million people in the whole southern African region are
>infected.
>
>Almost every day, Zambian newspapers carry chilling tales of child
>rape -- tales that are depressingly familiar to readers of the South
>African press, where the only consolation may lie in the fact that
>they are not quite so frequent.
>
>Zambian Vice President Nevers Mumba says the crime has become a
>serious problem, with more than 400 cases recorded between January and
>June 2003, up from 238 in the same period last year.
>
>TRADITIONAL HEALERS BLAMED
>
>Some blame traditional healers, whom most people turn to for medical
>advice, not least because so few can afford a doctor.
>
>"Traditional healers are misleading some rapists that HIV infection
>can be reversed if a man has sex with a minor...it is a tragedy and
>something that is endangering the lives of our children," said Ireen
>Nkunda, a counsellor for abused children at a Lusaka-based Young Women
>Christian Association (YWCA).
>
>Nkunda said the YWCA handled 110 cases of child rape between January
>and September of this year.
>
>"Once we had a case of a father who raped his one-and-half-year-old
>baby," she said.
>
>Rodwell Vongo, head of the Traditional Healers Association of Zambia,
>denies any wrong-doing by his members.
>
>"Our members cannot mislead people in such a manner...we have been
>educating them not to mislead people that they can cure AIDS," Vongo
>said.
>
>Nkunda said a study had found that some men rape their children after
>visiting traditional healers who advise them to have sex with a
>daughter or young female relative to boost profits in their
>businesses.
>
>"Some men also believe that they will get promoted at their place of
>work if they have sex with a minor...our children are not safe because
>rapists are now within our families," she said.
>
>In September, the story of an 11-year-old girl who died after being
>raped repeatedly by her half-brother prompted a national awakening on
>the subject.
>
>Police spokeswoman Brenda Muntemba blamed "weak laws" for the
>increasing child rape cases.
>
>"There is nothing the police can do if an offender is arrested and
>appears before court where he is then given bail. Our court system and
>even the prisons (service) need serious reforms," Muntemba said.
I wonder if this evidence is anecdotal?
Perhaps someone needs to do a statistical study.
And surely what is needed is not new legislation, but the application of
existing laws -- or are there places where rape is legal?
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop
uk
|
