Infant rape in South Africa

Abstract

Records from the Crime Information Management Centre of the South African Police Force indicate that in 1999 221072 sexual offences were committed against persons aged under 17 years. Child and adolescent rape is a problem worldwide and a growing concern in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition there also seems to be an increase in the amount of infant rape (IR) which is perpetrated on children under the age of 1 year old. The motivations for IR are complex and seem to have several striking features. To penetrate the infants vagina the perpetrators create a common channel between the vagina and anal canal by insertion of an implement analogous to mutilation by introcision. Indeed rape in this manner can be fatal to children as this may cause death due to hemorrhage or abdominal sepsis. State hospitals are not funded to provide antiretroviral prophylaxis in IR cases because of the state’s contention that the interventions efficacy is not proven yet. Furthermore the theory behind IR is related to the myth that intercourse with virgin infants will enable the perpetrator to rid himself of sexually transmitted diseases. Failure of the political leadership to acknowledge HIV/AIDS infections has been the ground of such bizarre and dangerous myths to take root. Hence community educational programs must be expanded and appropriately targeted to populations at risk.