Lesbians "Cured" by Corrective Rape

(Johannesburg, South Africa) This report is disturbing. South African lesbians are raped to attempt to cure them.

This is the land of "corrective rape". Despite South Africa having one of the most enlightened constitutions in the world, traditional views about sexuality still run deep. In many quarters, especially male ones, lesbians are resented, perhaps even feared. And to some young men the remedy is simple: rape.

Each year, ActionAid estimates, 500,000 women are raped in South Africa, with lesbians a particular target. The warped logic is that the assault will "cure" them. As a result, says ActionAid, 86 per cent of black lesbians live in fear of rape. Their anxiety is understandable: only a minority of rapes are reported to the police and, of these, only one in five ends up in court, with a meagre 4 per cent of them ending in a conviction.

A high-profile case being adjudicated currently is the murder of sports star and prominent lesbian Eudy Simelane who was killed after being raped. At least 30 lesbian murders have been recorded in the last decade.