In the last year, three out of every ten women in the South of Johannesburg area were victim to a severe form of sexual violence -- from Braamfontein in the north through to Orange Farm in the south; from Zola in the west of Soweto through to City Deep in the East. Of the victims, one in four was raped repeatedly; these rapes were most likely to be "domestic" or "family".

This is one finding of the enquiry producing the largest and most detailed body of evidence on sexual violence in South Africa to date. Between January and April 1998 researchers interviewed some 3 700 women, 2 010 men, 1 471 high school pupils, 90 members of the police and 88 other service workers such as social workers, prosecutors, magistrates and district surgeons. The study was done by CIETafrica in partnership with Johannesburg's Southern Metropolitan Local Council (SMLC), and it is the baseline for an extensive SMLC-led initiative to prevent sexual violence.

Professor Neil Andersson, executive director of CIET and head of the CIET/SMLC enquiry explains the statistics, "If this everyday rape of women is likened to the days and hours of the week, two full days are taken by rape in the home by a relative -- most frequently a father, stepfather or uncle. The next two of the seven days, the rapists are also known to their victims -- a neighbour, a date or an acquaintance. Three days of the week would be taken up by strangers and the last hour and a half (0.9%) are gang rapes or Jack Rollers."

According to the nearly 4000 women who answered the questionnaire, most women who are raped do seek help. The majority (58%) go to the police, smaller but substantial proportions go to clinics (17%) and hospitals (13%), while tiny proportions go to private doctors (2,6%), teachers (2%), NGOs (1.5%) and family members or friends (2.2%).

One in five women say they sought help for sexual abuse in the last 11 months.

The most vicious attacks, however, often remain unreported. Less than half gang rapes are reported to the police, while eight out of ten other rapes are said to be reported.

The enquiry provides information on police action against rape from the standpoint of rape victims, from the health and welfare workers and from the police themselves. According to the women respondents, 61% who reported a rape were satisfied with the way the police handled them. But there is room for improvement: a victim who reports the case to the police is three times more likely to feel worse afterwards than one who reports it to a hospital or clinic. Of those who were dissatisfied, 14% said this was because the dockets were "lost". Eight out of ten who were dissatisfied said the perpetrator was not arrested or he was released without bail.

One in ten women (10%) said the most important thing to stop sexual violence is to work with the police. Nearly the same proportion (8%) believe they should take the law into their own hands. The results indicate good prospects for an improved relationship between police and public on the issue of sexual violence, provided problem areas are addressed.

"Some of these indicators might serve as performance bench marks", explains Professor Andersson on how to use the information for change. "As confidence in the police increases with appropriate police strategies, fewer lost dockets and higher conviction rates, more community members will be in favour of working with the police against sexual violence."

Another source of assistance are help lines. The researchers asked whether rape victims had used a telephone help line: only 14% reported to have used one. No victim of gang rape in this sample said she had used a help line.

The SMLC/CIET enquiry goes beyond chronicling the extent of sexual violence. Its focus is primary prevention and building on the resilience of men who do not rape. A special questionnaire was designed to interview men, the responses of which are being analysed separately. As Professor Andersson emphasises, "women can act or dress differently, but that is not going to decrease the rates of sexual violence; it is up to the men"

Although 77% of women say that sexual violence is common or very common in their communities, there is a level of hope and energy to do something about it. Most women said that solidarity and information sharing are necessary to stop sexual violence (55%); some specific activities against sexual violence (9%), working with the police (10%), communities taking law into their own hands (8%), legal retribution (3%) and activity at schools (3%).

Another avenue for change discussed by women is the raising of their sons. Most of the women interviewed indicated parents can and should teach their sons positive values, respect, being a good person and being satisfied with life, in order to prevent them from growing up sexually violent.

The first step towards the SMLC/CIET enquiry was taken in 1997 when the Local Council asked residents of Johannesburg's South to define a vision for their community. Out of seven area, five identified "safety" as the biggest issue. In the remaining two safety was mentioned second, after health and economic development. Shortly afterwards the SMLC gave its Health and Social Development cluster a mandate to work with CIET to quantify the problem of sexual violence, to design solutions and to monitor progress. Field workers from the local communities were trained to use a planning system which CIET had developed and applied during various enquiries in 42 other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Bosnia, Uganda and Nepal.

The enquiry is funded by the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The funding allows for three research and action cycles at six month intervals. The process includes many local partners, including the Centre for Peace Action, Women Against Women Abuse, Lungelo, POWA, SANCO, the Gauteng network on violence against women, Vision of Hope and Social Dimensions. The project has also received support from the Gauteng Department of Health Medico-Legal Services, the South African Police Services, the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice.

Issued by Marina Penderis, Information Officer, CIETafrica
Tel: 083-457-6872
E-mail: CIETinfo@compuserve.com