The scandal of manhood: 'Baby rape' and the politicization of sexual violence in post-apartheid South Africa

Culture, Health and Sexuality

Volumn 7, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 239-252

  Posel, Deborah ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND   (South Africa)

Author keywords

Gender; Male sexuality; Masculinity; Post apartheid; Sexual violence

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE; FEMALE; FEMININITY; GENEALOGY; HUMAN; INTIMACY; MALE; MASCULINITY; MORALITY; POLITICAL SYSTEM; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RACE DIFFERENCE; RAPE; SEXUAL BEHAVIOR; SEXUALITY; SOCIAL ASPECT; SOUTH AFRICA; VIOLENCE;

ADULT; CHILD; CHILD ABUSE, SEXUAL; CHILD WELFARE; CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS; HUMANS; INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS; MALE; POLITICS; POWER (PSYCHOLOGY); RAPE; SOCIAL CHANGE; SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS; SOUTH AFRICA; WOMEN'S RIGHTS;

EID: 17344371946     PISSN: 13691058     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/13691050412331293467     Document Type: Article

References (47)

1. The former is dealt with in D. Posel. 'Sex, Death and the Fate of the Nation', forthcoming in Africa, 2005.
2. Sowetan, 29/1/2002, 'Just Call me Lucky'.
3. The Citizen, 15/11/2001, 'Parliament united in outrage at baby rape'.
4. Saturday Star, 13/4/02, 'Restoring Respect for Family'.
5. The law offered some protection from domestic sexual violence in provisions against indecent assault - a lesser order of offence, and difficult to prove.
6. M.W. Cronje, for Minister Vlok, to Carole Charlewood, re "Representation regarding...".
7. I b i d.
8. Sunday Times, 4 April 1999, 'Child Rape: A Taboo within the AIDS Taboo'.
9. I b i d.
10. There isn't the space here to examine the relations between AIDS and rape more fully. See Posel 2005.
11. BBC News, 27 November 2000, 'SA: Standing up to Rapists', available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2hi/africa
12. The rape of a 14 month-old baby by her two uncles in Tweeling, Free State and another case of a 3 year-old toddler raped by her grandfather, also alleged to have "abused his own daughter, the injured child's mother, for years".
13. The Citizen, 7/11/2001, 'Five More Child Rape Cases'; The Citizen, 12 November 2001, 'Child Rape Scourge Gets Worse'; The Citizen, 15 November 2001, 'KZN has the highest child abuse figures'; Sowetan, 23 November 2001, Boy (11) Arrested for Raping Sister; CNN.com, 26 November 2001,'SA Facing Child Rape Crisis'.
14. On 24 November 2002, editor of the Sunday Times Mathata Tsedu, wrote again of "the horror of child rape", prompted by yet another child rape a 2 - year-old girl sodomised to the point of near death. Sunday Times, 24 November 2001, 'The Horror of Child Rape must incense us all into protest'.
15. CNN.corn, 26 November 2001, 'SA Facing Child Rape Crisis'.
16. Sowetan, 12 November 2001, 'Outrage over Violence'.
17. Cape Town, 25th; ANC Youth League on 5 December.
18. Sowetan, 28 November 2001, 'Vigil to Highlight Child Abuse'.
19. Sowetan 15 November 2001, 'Gov to hold talks on moral values'.
20. The Citizen, 15 November 2001, 'Parliament united in outrage at baby rape'.
21. Address by Deputy President Zuma to the Moral Regeneration Movement National Consultative Meeting, 23 November 2001, available at: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/zuma/2001.
22. Ibid. http://WWW.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/zuma/2001
23. Drum magazine, 22 November 2001, 'Rape - Our National Shame'.
24. Drum magazine, 29 November 2001, 'You rape - you die!'.
25. Sowetan, 15 November 2001, 'Dear Editor, How do we punish rape monsters?'.
26. Drum magazine, 22 November 2001, 'Rape - Our National Shame'.
27. Sowetan, 30 November 2001, 'Call on men and boys to fight against child abuse'.
28. Saturday Star, 13April 2002, 'Restoring Respect for Family'.
29. See e.g., Peoples' Daily, 27 November 2001, 'S. African President Disgusted by Child Abuse: Spokesman'.
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38. HSRC (1997) Media Releases 1997: International Day of the Child - 1 June 1997: Child Abuse: Public Opinion and the Role of the Media, available at http://www.hsrc.ac.za/media/1997/index.html.
39. Lewis, S. (1997) Theoretical and Therapeutic Aspects of Extra-familial Child Rape in the South African Context: A Preliminary Exploration, Seminar no. 5, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Johannesburg, 28 May, available at http://www.csvr.org.za/papers/papchilr.htm.
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43. Ross, K. (1993) Women, Rape and Violence in South Africa: Two Preliminary Studies (Belleville: Community Law Centre, University of Western Cape).
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45. SA Law Commission (1985) Project 45, Women and Sexual Offences in South Africa, April.
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