South Africa is a wounded nation, and its people carry with them deep pain and extreme anger, the University of Cape Town (UCT) chancellor, Mrs Graça Machel, told mourners during a campus memorial for UCT student Uyinene ‘Nene’ Mrwetyana.
Rape
Politics and Society Nigerian women’s battle against rape, sexual harassment and religion
The Nigerian Church is one of the most oppressive institution in the country. Its victims are mostly women and the poor. These past few weeks, the #MeToo movement knocked on the doors of the Church and the response has not been so favourable. Nigerian women still have a huge fight on their hands as they mark small victories, punctuated by huge steps backwards.
Politics and Society Sierra Leone takes welcome leap on rape: but next steps are crucial
Sierra Leone has declared a national emergency to combat rape and sexual violence.
Politics and Society Rhodes University loses Miss Varsity Shield 2017, Khensani Maseko to suicide
Law student and anti-rape activist Khensani Maseko, 23, took her own life days after she reported her alleged rape by a fellow student to authorities at Rhodes University. Her tragic death has brought the issue of campus rape and rape culture back to the forefront.
Politics and Society Preventing sexual violence: lessons from rebel armies in Burundi and Uganda
Not all rebel armies use rape and sexual violence as a weapon. Some have actually designed ways to prevent such atrocities. How and what can we learn from them?
Politics and Society Zimbabwe proposes 60-year minimum mandatory jail sentence for pedophiles
The Zimbabwean government has proposed a minimum mandatory 60-year jail sentence for people convicted of raping minors aged 12 years and below and the disabled, while a 40-year prison term will apply for all rape cases as a means to stamp out the crime.
Politics and Society #RUReferenceList: Shifting the shame to rape perpetrators
Students at Rhodes University in South Africa are protesting against the pervasive rape culture at the college. There have been numerous messages of solidarity posted on social media after publication of the #RUReferenceList which names the alleged rapists at Rhodes University.
“Powerful. Revolutionary. Brave. Necessary. All I have are adjectives to describe this
—> #RUReferenceList !!!” @tembisa
Politics and Society Services for South African rape victims come under threat
South African newspapers recently reported that organisations supported by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria face severe funding cuts.
Politics and Society Women and girls raped as ‘wages’ for govt forces in South Sudan
HRW report documents the testimonies of women and girls as young as 12, abducted and held as sex-slaves in ‘rape camps’