The report, which is backed by the South African Human Rights Commission, is calling for South Africa's criminal justice system to recognise hate crimes, including corrective rape, as a separate crime category and condemns the culture of impunity around these crimes.
Although South Africa has one of the world's most progressive constitutions and became the first country in Africa to allow gay marriage in 2006, homosexuality is still widely frowned upon and same-sex unions are often decried as "un-African."
Last year, the brutal gang-rape and murder of Eudy Simelane - an out lesbian, equality rights campaigner and former star of South Africa's acclaimed Banyana Banyana national female football squad - threw a spotlight on the issue. According to reports, Simelane's body was found in a creek in a park in Kwa Thema, on the outskirts of Johannesburg. She was brutally beaten before being stabbed 25 times in the face, chest and legs.
Hate Crimes: the rise of corrective rape in South Africa report (PDF)
Video of South African victims of "corrective rape" describing the terror and men who think that rape will "cure" lesbians of their sexual orientation
WARNING: Some viewers may find the contents of this video disturbing
ActionAid report
Hate Crimes: the rise of corrective rape in South Africa
"Corrective" rape survivors interviewed by ActionAid for the report Hate Crimes: the rise of corrective rape in South Africa, said that verbal abuse from their attackers before and during the rape included them "teaching us a lesson" and "showing us how to be real women and what a real man tasted like." The research was carried out in conjunction with ActionAid partners People Opposed to Women Abuse (POWA), Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP).
Support groups say that rape is fast becoming the most widespread hate crime targeted against gay women in townships across South Africa.
One lesbian and gay support group says it is dealing with 10 new cases of lesbian women being targeted for "corrective" rape every week in Cape Town alone.
Zanele Twala, Director of ActionAid South Africa, said: "So-called 'corrective' rape is yet another grotesque manifestation of violence against women, the most widespread human rights violation in the world today. These crimes continue unabated and with impunity, while governments simply turn a blind eye."
Thirty one lesbian women have been reported murdered in homophobic attacks since 1998. But support groups stress that because hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation are not recognised in the South African criminal justice system, the actual number of women killed is likely to be much higher.
The murderers are walking free. Of the 31 cases, only two have ever made it to the South African courts and there has been only one conviction.
Tsidi, a hate crime survivor from Cape Town said: "Here in South Africa you have judges sending women to jail for stealing a loaf of bread to feed her baby, but men who gang rape women, who murder lesbians... they walk the streets as free men."
South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, guaranteeing the rights of gay and lesbian people. However, the South African legal system has not caught up. Hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation are not recognised by South African law and the courts refuse to recognise that it plays any part in these cases. The police are reluctant to investigate hate crimes against lesbian women and there is inadequate support for the survivors.
One lesbian woman said: "We get insults every day, beatings if we walk alone, you are constantly reminded that... you deserve to be raped, they yell, if I rape you then you will go straight, that you will buy skirts and start to cook because you will have learnt how to be a real woman.
"It is clear that the South African government must put a stop to these crimes against women and fulfil the promises of the constitution. Worldwide, it is utterly unacceptable that millions of women and girls live daily in fear of their lives. The international community have a duty to address violence against women as the most serious threat to security in the world today," Ms Twala said.
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Reader's Comments
Jesus is a Homosexual and thus,
Killling homosexuals = killing God.
Raping lesbians = raping God.
Homosexuality = sin = Jesus = sinner = blasphemy.
There is corrective therapy for homosexuals, and corrective rape for lesbians. All these are from the devil. The devil is crazy as his time is short. The devil uses the pagans and Abrahamic faiths to steal, kill and destroy queer people because he hated Jesus. Thus all the more for us to believe that Jesus, the Savior of the world, is queer.
He who has ears let him hear!
The predominant religion* of South Africa is Christianity. According to the 2001 census, the overwhelming majority of South Africans, or 79.8%, are Christian. The independent African Zion Christian churches predominate, being the faith of 15.3% of the total population, and 19.2% of all Christians.
*It incorporates traditional African ancestral worship that is unaccepted by the church at large.
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Need I say more? zzz
:'((
No one walks up to a blind person and kicks her because she is not "normal".
We are not really dealing with an assertion of "normality", but a religiously driven assertion of lesbians being morally less - and fair game. This sets the stage for sadists and sociopaths to be cruel while providing a divine rationale for their actions.
Sadly, in parts of the world this cruelty may be "normal"...and apart from rare exceptions like Desmond Tutu whose goodness exists despite rather than because of his religion, the African Christian church seems to thrive on identifying the gay minority as morally less than "normal" people - pandering to a flock that obviously needs to feel superior to someone.
We are not really dealing with an assertion of "normality", but a religiously driven assertion of lesbians being morally less - and fair game. This sets the stage for sadists and sociopaths to be cruel while providing a divine rationale for their actions.
Which begs one to ask: What is it about organized religion that attracts so many closet (pun intended) sadists & sociopaths??? The religious community would do better to reflect & ask hard questions like these than going around looking for other peoples' perceived faults to condemn....bt hahaha! I think it will be an oxymoron- will they revise their social policies when it's been working so well -for them?
Two things are infinite: the universe.
And human stupidity.
I hope they sleep well at night
how ironic.the country passes the law of gay marriage and yet did nothing to protect the homosexuals? what a shame..
be brave, fellow girlies of SA. u will be blessed with all our prayers for your safety.
Sometimes I have to laugh at the assertions or people who make statements they consider to be fact without any possibility of supporting proof.
While it might be nice to think that Jesus was Gay because he hung around with a bunch of men, there is also enough circumstantial proof that says Jesus survived the cross and a family of his own.
This of course may have been suppressed by the Christian Churches to protect their collect ass/arses.
Using poor logic or unproven truths to support a case is non-productive.
Get real guys.
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