User:Lenasilva/sandbox

Definition

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Corrective rape is a criminal practice in which men rape a lesbian, sometimes under the supervision by members of the woman's family or local community, with the purported purpose of "curing" her of homosexuality.

The practice was first seen in South Africa.

The term corrective rape was first used in the early 2000s by non-governmental organisations human rights to describe rapes committed against South African lesbians. In 2008 when Eudy Simelane, a member of the South Africa women's national football team and a vocal LGBT-rights activist in South Africa was gang raped and murdered in KwaThema, Gauteng. Two of her four accused assailants were ultimately convicted.

A November 2008 report by the NGO ActionAid and the South African Human Rights Commission reported that corrective rape is a serious problem.

Why it occurs To be completed by Tasneem

Health Ramifications

A variety of physical and psychological trauma can result from corrective rape and the physical abuse that often accompanies it. There are many cases in which the victim does not survive the attack or are maimed/scarred for life including. Victims in South Africa are at a high risk for contracting HIV/AIDS as well as other sexually transmitted disease, in addition to experiencing a pregnancy

Prevalence

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South Africa

Canada

Other Countries

Social Issues

Family

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Military

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Global Impacts

The torture and rape of lesbians happens in every part of the world, including "developed" countries . Some believe this to be a manifestation of the domination of patriarchal society which punished lesbians as outsiders, especially when nations go to war . Under patriarchy, lesbian existence is delegitimized and/or made illegal. Dr. Susan Hawthorne argues that the freedom of lesbians from torture and violence may be an indicator of the social health of a society. Amnesty International's Crimes of Hate report concludes with the following statement: "The struggle to protect the human rights of LGBT people should be one that is waged by all" .

Case Studies and Testimonies

Eudy Simelane To be completed by partner

Zukiswa Gaca To be completed by partner

Zoliswa Nkonyana To be completed by partner

Noxolo Nogwaza The body of Noxolo Nogwaza, a 24 year old lesbian and member of Ekurhuleni Pride Organizing Committee, was found lying in an alley in Kwa-Thema at about 9am on Sunday, April 24 2011. Noxola’s head was completely deformed, her eyes out of the sockets, her brain spilt, teeth scattered all around and face crashed beyond recognition. Witnesses say that an empty beer bottle and a used condom were stuck up her genitals. Parts of the rest of her body had been stabbed with glass. A large pavement brick that is believed to have been used to crash her head was found by her side .

Brandon Teena Brandon Teena, a 21 year old trans man, was killed on December 31st, 1993 by two men who were enraged because Brandon had reported them to the police for a violent sexual assault. That sexual assault occurred, by the accounts portrayed in “The Brandon Teena Story” and “Boys Don’t Cry,” because the soon-to-be-murderers were enraged over Brandon’s gender identity .

Activism and Preventative Efforts

Various organizations, groups, and individuals work to raise awareness of corrective rape and it's ramifications. Many individuals are also trying to raise general awareness of the existence of gender non-conforming women, including lesbians, bisexual, transgender and inter-sexed women in order to stop stereotypes and stigmas that exist around them.

Luleki Sizwe

Luleki Sizwe is a community based organization focused on supporting victims of corrective rape in South Africa’s townships. Their top two objectives include changing the existing stereotypes surrounding lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in our society and supporting and reaching out to lesbians who have been forced from their homes due to their sexual orientation and HIV status. They try and accomplish this through a variety of activities including campaigning, advocating and providing a safe house and medical care to victims of corrective rape.

Ekurhuleni Pride Organizing Committee (EPOC)

The Ekurhuleni Pride Organising Committee was formed in June 2009 by a small group of LGBTIs (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed) who wanted to decrease the frequency of severe Hate-Crimes affecting LGBTIs within Ekurhuleni . EPOC organizes the Ekurhuleni Pride March, holds regular meetings to share information, hosts workshops and conferences to bring forth education. They also aim to document the lives and the openly gay and lesbian Ekurhuleni activists who liberated themselves in the 1980’s.

See also

• Sexual violence in South Africa
• LGBT rights in South Africa
• Violence against LGBT people
• Lesbophobia
• Causes of sexual violence
• Factors associated with being a victim of sexual violence
• Rape statistics
• Types of rape

References

• Annie Kelly, "Raped and killed for being a lesbian: South Africa ignores 'corrective' attacks", The Guardian, 2009-03-12
• Yolanda Mufweba, "'Corrective rape makes you an African woman'", Saturday Star, 2003-11-07
• Vasu Reddy, Cheryl-Ann Potgieter, and Nonhlanhla Mkhize, "Cloud over the rainbow nation: 'corrective rape' and other hate crimes against black lesbians", HSRC Review, 5(1) (March 2007): 10–11
• 'Corrective Rape': Fighting a South African Scourge, Time, 8 March 2011
• Silvio, Lorenzo Di. "Correcting Corrective Rape: Carmichele And Developing South Africa's Affirmative Obligations To Prevent Violence Against Women." Georgetown Law Journal 99.5 (2011): 1469-1515. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Apr. 2012.

External links

• Samira Ahmed, "'Corrective rape' in South Africa", channel4.com, 2009-03-12 (television news report)
• "'Corrective rape' at schools", news24.com, 2008-12-03