Monday Map: South Africa's Rape Epidemic

Today's map looks at reports of sexual assult per capita around the world, and amidst a pile of interesting data it reveals one extremely troubling outlier -- South Africa. The country's rate of reported rape is one-third higher than the second-highest nation on the list (the Seychelles) and more than double the rate of the sixth country on the list (Jamaica). One disclaimer before we get started: this data comes from the UN's crime survey in 2000, and lots of countries (everything in white above) are left out. Even if everyone were to report, however, I have a feeling South Africa would still be number one in this dubious category.

A trial underway in South Africa offers a hint to the culture and attitudes that might have put the country in this predicament. And, for once, I think a stiff sentence is called for (if the defendants are found guilty, of course) and could work as an effective deterrent. Three men were set to go on trial last week in the murder of Eudy Simelane before a judge granted the state a continuance. Simelane was a star soccer player, the captain of the South African national team, and she was gay. Apparently because of her sexual orientation, the three men allegedly raped her and stabbed her to death. She is one of at least 31 lesbians killed in this type of hate crime in the last five years.

The use of "corrective rape" -- sexual assault in an attempt to punish or "correct" homosexuals -- is rampant in South Africa. Change.org Gay Rights blogger Michael Jones wrote about the Simelane trial and the issue of corrective rape in South Africa last week. He wrote:

Simelane's case is an important opportunity to not only address the pandemic of rape in South Africa, but also to put a face to the scourge of corrective rape.  This is a long overdue step for South African authorities, with many LGBT organizations saying that politicians and government officials have drug their feet to combat homophobia and violence.

As Michael wrote, this trial is an opportunity to address all aspects of rape in the country. Sexual assault is pervasive throughout South African society - some estimates suggest that 150 women are raped each day in the country, and these are likely low since there's no way to know how many rapes go unreported. Anonymous men interview recently by the BBC talked about the social acceptance of gang rape, which has almost become a game.

Regular readers know that I'll usually argue that sentences don't deter future crimes. And, for the most part, I stand by that position. But in a country and a culture where sexual violence is too often viewed as acceptable and where law enforcement can exacerbate the problem by failing to take reports of rape seriously, successful prosecutions do play an important role. They show the community that rape is taken seriously and that it's very, very wrong.

I don't know the facts of the Simelane case, so I can't say that I hope the defendants are found guilty. But if the evidence proves them guilty, however, I hope the sentence communicates the seriousness of the crime and moves the country one step away from "corrective rape" and from a terrible rape epidemic.