Jewkes said a study she conducted in 2009 showed 62 percent of surveyed boys over age 11 believed that forcing someone to have sex was not an act of violence. One-third said girls enjoy being raped. Jewkes' study had 37 percent of surveyed men saying they had raped a woman or child, and 75 percent admitting they first raped a teenager. All the men came from Gauteng, South Africa's most populated province.
The 17-year-old raped last Saturday in Bredasdorp, a Western Cape town known for its giant protea flowers, lived long enough to identify a former 22-year-old boyfriend as one of her attackers. Police took him into custody. On Thursday they arrested a 21-year-old suspect and on Friday a 23-year-old. All are to appear in court Monday. According to media reports, the teen was attacked by five men.
The maximum sentence for rape in South Africa is life in prison. But official statistics show less than 10 percent of reported sexual crimes result in a successful prosecution, making many reluctant to report rape.
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