A quarter of men admit rape in South African survey

A new report (pdf) from the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) found that more than a quarter of 1738 men surveyed in two provinces admitted to having committed rape, with 1 in 20 admitting to doing so in the last year. From the (South African) Mail & Guardian: Of those surveyed, 28% said they ...

A new report (pdf) from the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) found that more than a quarter of 1738 men surveyed in two provinces admitted to having committed rape, with 1 in 20 admitting to doing so in the last year.

A new report (pdf) from the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) found that more than a quarter of 1738 men surveyed in two provinces admitted to having committed rape, with 1 in 20 admitting to doing so in the last year.

From the (South African) Mail & Guardian:

Of those surveyed, 28% said they had raped a woman or girl, and 3% said they had raped a man or boy. Almost half who said they had carried out a rape admitted they had done so more than once, with 73% saying they had carried out their first assault before the age of 20.

46.3 percent of men who admitted to rape said they had done it more than once.

As hype continues to build for South Africa’s role hosting the World cup in 2010, this report is one of a number of setbacks for the country’s struggle to give itself an image other than being inundated in crime. To its credit, South Africa is doing more than spin and trying to actually reduce crime and improve security before the hordes of fans arrive.

<p> Michael Wilkerson, a journalist and former Fulbright researcher in Uganda, is a graduate student in politics at Oxford University, where he is a Marshall Scholar. </p>
Tag: Africa

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