A draft bill that will allow any survivor of a reported rape to apply to have the rape suspect(s) tested for HIV/Aids is under discussion. Not only might this enable women to obtain some peace of mind about their attackers'…
South Africa does not yet understand much about the relationship between poverty and crime. About the closest we ever come is the 'poverty-and-violence-causes-crime' thesis. However, this explanation not only libels the poor and unemployed generally, it is also inadequate. Single…
Recent news reports have highlighted research around rape by sociobiologists Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer. Their claim about the cause of rape is controversial indeed. Essentially, they state that rape is a behaviour evolved by unsuccessful men to gain sexual…
Nineteen ninety-nine was the year we discovered that a rape in South Africa doesn't occur every 17 seconds, every 23 seconds, every 25 seconds or even every 83 seconds, casting doubt on the claim that more than a million women…
The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation was commissioned by the Independent Complaints Directorate to conduct research into several areas within its statutory mandate. One of these areas was an examination of the problem of deaths occurring in…
This paper is a journey into their criminal underworld – South Africa's heart of darkness. It is a unsettling journey but one that is vital if we are to reach beyond the public disquietude surrounding these cold-blooded youngsters and begin to understand the human contours of their moral exile and pariah status. The journey starts with their own, autobiographical accounts of how they were drawn into this world of deviance; the different paths they have traversed; the events that have taken place along the way and the dialogue that they have about their goals and dreams in the future.