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Wednesday, March 12, 2008




VIOLENCE IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS

An article in the Mail & Guardian blows my conception of South Africa as a civilized part of the planet with largely British values. The article describes violence in South African schools, and the article is titled "Rape games played at SA schools":

Games such as "hit me, hit me" and "rape me, rape me", where schoolchildren chase each other and then pretend to hit or rape each other, are being played at South African schools, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said in a report on school-based violence, which was presented in Johannesburg on Wednesday. ...

The report said school is the "single most common" site of crimes such as assault and robbery against pupils. According to a study conducted by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP), young people are twice as likely to become victims of crime than adults. ...

"Research indicates that learners perceive school toilets as the least safe areas, as are grounds and playing fields," the report said.

These areas are a haven for bullies, which is the most common and well-known form of school violence. ...

According to a study conducted among 1 227 female students who were victims of sexual assault, 8,6% were assaulted by teachers, the report said.

The Western Cape department of education said that on average it receives between one and four cases a month against teachers for sexual assault or harassment of students.


The article introduces new terminology--"corrective rape":

"There is a growing phenomenon of corrective rape. This refers to an instance where a male learner rapes a lesbian female learner in the belief that after such a sexual attack the learner will no longer be lesbian," the report said.



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