Shocking Statistics

Rape is endemic in South Africa.

Women:

• 1 in 2 women have a chance of being raped in their lifetime
• A woman is raped every 26 seconds in South Africa
• More than 40% of the perpetrators are known to the rape survivor
• Less than 2% of the reported rapes are false
• Most rapes occur in the rapists community
• 1 in 4 women are in an abusive relationship
• Every 6 days in South Africa, a woman is killed by her intimate male partner
• Women are more likely to be attacked by someone they know, than by a stranger

The Rapist:

• 85% of rapists were armed (usually with a knife)
• In 1998, just under 7% of reported rapes were prosecuted

Children:

• A child is abused every 8 minutes in South Africa
• A child is raped every 24 minutes in South Africa
• 85-90% of perpetrators are known to the child
• 1 in 4 girls & 1 in 5 boys under 16 years have been sexually abused
• 1/3 said their first experience was rape or forced sex
• 2/3 of teens said they'd experienced sex against their will
• The rape graph rises sharply from 3-25 yr old girls and peaks at girls 8-11 yrs

HIV/AIDS & Violence Against Women and Children

• 40% of young men aged 20-29 (most common age of rapists) are infected with HIV/AIDS
• The incidence of HIV is highest in girls aged 15-25
• There are 1700 new cases of HIV infection daily in South Africa
• In 2004, 20% of girls aged 13-19 were infected with HIV/AIDS (six times more than boys)
• 16% of the women raped are already infected with HIV

This information came from a pamphlet that was distributed at another volunteer's placement. She works with adults between 18-30 years old. An organization came in to talk to them and distribute the material. Although the pamphlet is dated 2005, they are still using this data and based on the other talks and presentations I've been to, these numbers are probably still very representative today.

Source: Rape Crisis Cape Town, Men Against Rape, April 2005