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Atrocious
rape and murder shows need for comprehensive approach to sexual
violence in South Africa: Pillay
GENEVA
(8 February 2013)
-
The
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, expressed Friday
her shock and deep sadness at the atrocious rape, mutilation and
murder of Anene Booysen, a 17-year-old South African woman, and urged
a more comprehensive approach to tackling the “pandemic of sexual
violence” affecting tens of thousands of women every year in South
Africa.
“There
is a need for very strong signals to be sent to all rapists that
sexual violence is absolutely unacceptable and that they will have to
face the consequences of their terrible acts. The entrenched culture
of sexual violence which prevails in South Africa must end,” Pillay
said.
Anene
Booysen was raped and mutilated, allegedly by several men, on
February 2, and left for dead on a building site in Bredasdorp, 80
miles east of Cape Town. The following morning she was found, still
alive, by a security guard, but died later the same day.
“I
welcome the strong reaction by President Zuma and other actors,
including political parties, NGOs and trade unions,” Pillay said.
“But it should not have taken this particularly atrocious case,
involving rape, torture and murder, to underline the urgent need for
a more thorough response across the whole spectrum of South African
society to tackle the root causes of this pandemic of sexual
violence,” she added.
“While
the legal framework, and some initiatives, are in place to address
sexual violence, much more needs to be done. The fact that tens of
thousands of rapes continue to take place every year in South Africa
is a clear indication that the problem must be addressed in a much
more robust manner,” the High Commissioner said.
South
Africa has the highest rates of rape reported to the police anywhere
in the world. In 2012, the number of rapes documented by the police
rose to over 64,000 – or 175 per day. These figures are believed to
considerably underestimate the true number of rapes, as many cases go
unreported. A survey released in June by the Medical Research Council
of South Africa found that 28 percent of men surveyed had raped a
woman or girl, and one in 20 said they had raped a woman or girl in
the past year.
“I
am deeply disturbed by the fact that arrest and conviction rates of
rape perpetrators remain extremely low. This is not only a shocking
denial of justice for the thousands of victims, but also a factor
that has contributed to the normalization of rape and violence
against women in South African society,” Pillay said.
“Violence
against women is not only a human rights violation, it is also a
brutal manifestation of wider discrimination against women, which is
to be understood against the background of subordination of women
within the patriarchal system that still exists in South Africa,”
Pillay said. “South Africa’s Constitutional Court has emphasized
that there is an obligation on the State to protect women against
violence.”
“The
issue of sexual violence against women is not of concern to women
alone. Men must also be part of the solution and have to play an
active role in stopping gender-based violence and combatting
discrimination,” the High Commissioner said.
