JOHANNESBURG, June 18, 2009 (AFP) - More than a quarter of South African men in a study released Thursday admitted to raping a woman or girl, with 9.8 percent forcing themselves on a victim for the first time before the age of 10.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) study of 1,738 men found that nearly half had done so more than once, driving home South Africa's reputation as one of the world's worst rape capitals.
Among the men surveyed, 27.6 percent admitted to raping a woman or girl. One in five of confessed rapists had HIV, added the study, which canvassed men of all race groups, different socio-economic backgrounds, and urban and rural areas.
Nearly 10 percent of the men said they had forced a woman or girl into sex for the first time when aged under 10 years old.
Nearly 73 percent of the men surveyed committed their first rape while under age 20.
The incidence of HIV among rapists was similar to the rate among the general population. But 27.8 percent of the men who said they had committed same-sex assaults tested positive for HIV.
More than 42 percent of men in the study said they were physically violent to their partners, and those men were more likely to have HIV, the council said.
South Africa has one of the world's highest rates of reported rape with 36,190 cases -- 99 per day -- reported to police in 2007, but experts say that only a small number of attacks are actually reported.
The country has the highest number of HIV infections in the world.
090618
AF090604
Copyright ©AFP 2009. All Rights Reserved. AFP articles contained on the AEGiS web site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without AFP's prior written permission. You may make one copy of each article for your personal, non-commercial use only; more copies would require AFP's prior written permission obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics. http://www.afp.com/
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. This article first appeared in 2009. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2009. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.