Quantitativeresearchfindingson RAPE - Statistics …

1 StatisticsSouthAfrica,2000 Authors: :StatisticsSouthAfrica, :,SebleWorku, (LCSH16)Thispublication,includingthedata onwhichitisbased, ,nopartofitmaybereproducedorcopiedinanyf ormatorbyanyprocess,andnoreproductionorc opymaybesold, ,ResearchandDevelopmentStatisticsSouthAf ricaMarkOrkinHeadStatisticsSouthAfricaRo sHirschowitzMarkOrkinStatsSALibraryCatal oguing-in-Publication(CIP)DataStatsSAack nowledgesthefollowinginstitutionsandindi vidualsfortheircontributiontothereport: MsAnneLetsebe,DeputyDirectorGeneralandHe adofCabinetOfficeintheOfficeofthePreside nt. DrMarkShaw,DirectorofMonitoringandAnalys isintheDepartmentofSafetyandSecurity,and hiscolleagues. DrLorraineGlanz,DirectorofCrimeStatistic sintheDepartmentofJustice,andhercolleagu es.

2 DrRachelJewkes,DirectoroftheWomen'sHealt hResearchUnit,MedicalResearchCouncil,and hercolleaguesfromtheMedicalResearchCounc ilandtheDepartmentofHealth. DrChrisdeKock,Head:CrimeInformationAnaly sisCentre,andhiscolleaguesoftheSouthAfri canPoliceServices. TheDepartmentofCorrectionalServices. MrTonyTrew,andhiscolleaguesintheGovernme ntCommunicationandInformationSystem. : NationalLibraryofSouthAfrica,PretoriaDiv ision NationalLibraryofSouthAfrica,CapeTownDiv ision LibraryofParliament,CapeTown BloemfonteinPublicLibrary NatalSocietyLibrary,Pietermaritzburg JohannesburgPublicLibrary EasternCapeLibraryServices,KingWilliam sTown CentralRegionalLibrary,Pietersburg CentralReferenceLibrary,Nelspruit CentralReferenceCollection,Kimberley CentralReferenceLibrary,MmabathoContents PageExecutivesummaryChapter1:Introductio nChapter2:NationalandprovincialsurveysCh apter3:Statisticsfromregistersandotherre cordsChapter4:Localisedorsmallscalesurve ysAppendixA:MajorsurveysAppendixB.

3 MinorsurveysReferencesIncidenceandpreval enceofrape1 Profileofthevictimsandvictim offenderrelationships2 Outcomeofreportingrapetothepolice2 Internationalcomparison3 Reliabilityandvalidityofrapestatistics3 Background5 Defininganddistinguishingthecrimeofrape5 Difficultiesincollectingrapestatistics6 Availablesourcesofdata6 Structureoftherestofthereport7 Thevictimsofcrimesurveyof19989 Violenceagainstwomeninthreeprovinces(199 8)15 TheSouthAfricandemographicandhealthsurve yof199816 CrimeinformationanalysiscentreoftheSouth AfricanPoliceServices21 Riskfactorsassociatedwithrape24 Sentencesbeingservedbysexualoffenders27 Internationalcomparison27 Integration28 Changeandcontinuity:AsurveyofSowetointhe late1990s29 ViolenceagainstwomeninmetropolitanSouthA frica29 Cityvictimsurveys30 Theroleofthepoliceinthepreventionofsexua lviolence31 Rapesurveillancethroughthedistrictsurgeo nofficesinJohannesburg,1996-199832 Domesticviolenceagainstwomen.

4 Acloselookatintimatepartnerviolence33 Durbanmetropolitanstudy33 RapeCrisis-CapeTownstatisticsfor199833 Commonfindingsacrossthestudies34 Cautions34 ListoffiguresandtablesTable1:Numberandpe rcentageofwomensexuallyabusedorrapedbypo pulationgroup(allfiguresareweightedtothe population)11 Table2:Circumstancesofrapeinthe(allfigur esareweighted)13 Table3:Whetherornotaweaponwasusedinthera peepisode(allfiguresareweighted)13 Table4:Therateofreportingrapetothepolice andreasonsfornotreporting(allfiguresarew eighted)14 Table5:Numberandpercentageofwomenaged15 49yearseverraped,bypopulationgroupandage 18 Table6:Casesofrapeorattemptedrapereporte dtotheSouthAfricanPoliceServicesin199822 Table7:Outcomeof1998investigationsofcase sofrapeorattemptedrapereportedtotheSouth AfricanPoliceServices23 Table8:Numberandpercentageofvariouscateg oriesofcrimesreportedin199823 Table9:Convictionratesofrapesorattempted rapesreportedin199824 Table10:Datafromdocketstudyconductedbyth eCrimeInformationAnalysisCentre25 Table11:Sentencedprisonersconvictedofsex ualoffencesbyageandprovince,199827 Table12:Rapestatisticsfromselectedcountr ies28 TableA1 Datafrom35 TableA2:Datafromthe:numberandpercentageo fwomenaged15 49yearswhowereeverraped,bypopulationgrou pandprovince36 TableA3.

5 DatafromtheSouthAfricandemographicandhea lthsurvey:relationshipofoffendertovictim andrateofreportingtothepolice37 TableB1:DatafromTableB2:Datafrom40 TableB3:Datafrom4142 PageFigure1:Percentageofrespondentsinthe whosaidtheywererapedinthefiveyearspriort othestudybyageatthetimeoftheinterview(al lfiguresareweighted)12 Figure2:Thedayofweekwhentherapeoccurred2 6 TableB4:Datafrom41 TableB5:DatafromVictimsofcrimesurveyRape CrisisCapeTownstatisticalreport1998 Rapesurveillancethroughdistrictsurgeonof ficesinVictimsofcrimesurveyViolenceagain stwomeninthreeSouthAfricanprovincesSouth AfricandemographicandhealthsurveyChangea ndcontinuity:AsurveyofSowetointhelate199 0s39 ViolenceagainstwomeninmetropolitanSouthA fricaCrimeinPretoria.

6 ResultsofacityvictimsurveyJohannesburg,1 996-1998 PLEASETURNTHEPAGEI ncidenceandprevalenceofrapeThisstudyprov idesanoverviewofavailableliteratureonthe prevalenceandincidenceofrapeinSouthAfric a, , ,althoughapproachedfromdifferentperspect ivesandusingdiversemethods, ,altogether,atagivenpointintime,forexamp le, ,ontheotherhand,referstothenumberofcases overaspecifiedtimeperiod,forexample, , , ,StatsSAcontinuestofollowthisreportingme thod, ,andtheresultingincidenceofrapecanbecomp aredtotheincidenceofothercrimesinSouthAf rica,forexamplecartheft, ,forexample twowomanarerapedeveryminute , , , , (Sincesomewomenwererapedmorethanonce,the actualincidencewas143per100000ofthepopul ation.)

7 Italsomeansthatapproximately0,4% (Mpumalanga,EasternCapeandNorthernProvin ce)in1998,bytheMedicalResearchCouncil, (approximatelyhalfofthosewhosaidtheyhadb eenraped).VictimsofcrimesurveyViolenceag ainstwomenVictimsofcrimesurveyExecutives ummarySouthAfricanpolicestatisticsonthei ncidenceofrapereportedtothepolice,ascalc ulatedforInterpol,whichincludeattemptedr apeandrapeofchildren, , , Victimsofrapetendtobeyoungerwomen,agedfr om16to25years(2,7%ofallwomeninthisagecat egorysaidtheyhadbeenrapedinthefiveyearsp riortotheinterviewofMarch1998,comparedwi th1,8%ofallwomenagedbetween26and45yearsd uringthistimeperiod),althoughrapeoccursi nallagegroups. ,34,6% ,4%,butthispercentagetendstoincreasewith theageofthewoman.

8 Amongthoserapesreportedtothepoliceahighe rproportion(55,3%)weresaidtohavebeencomm ittedbystrangers,accordingtotheoftheUniv ersityofSouthAfrica(Unisa). Thefoundthat88,1% ,womenwererapedwiththethreatofphysicalin jury,andoftenwiththeuseofknives(68,0%)or atgunpoint(16,5%).Almosthalfofallrapes(4 7,3%)occurredinsidethehomesofvictims. Findingsfromtherapedocketsanalysisshowth at,ofrapesoccurredmorefrequentlythanthea verageonSaturdays(23,7%ofallreportedcase s),particularlybetween19h00and01h00. Severalstudiesconfirmthefindingthatappro ximatelyhalfofallrespondentswhoexperienc edrapereportedtheincidenttothepolice. Policestatisticsshowthat47,6% ,ofthecasesreferredtocourt,45,6%werewith drawnincourt,andafurther4,5% ,RapesurveillanceprojectVictimsofcrimesu rveyVictimsofcrimesurveyProfileofthevict imsandvictim offenderrelationshipsOutcomeofreportingr apetothepolicethosecasesreportedtothepol ice, Ofthe22121reportedcasesthatwenttocourt,o nlyafifth(19,8%)resultedintheconvictiono ftheaccused.

9 DataobtainedfromtheDepartmentofCorrectio nalServicesshowthatamongprisonersjailedf orsexualoffences,9,2%wereundertheageof20 ,31,6%wereagedbetween20and25years,and59, 2%wereolderthan25yearsofage. TheSouthAfricanpolicestatisticsmentioned earlier(120casesper100000reportedtothepo lice,includingattemptedrapeandrapeofchil dren)arehigherthanthereportedratesinneig hbouringAfricancountries,forexample,Bots wana(68)andSwaziland(59) ,infact,thehighestamongInterpolmembers. Thedatausedforthissummaryweredrawnfromse veralsources,basedonstudiesusingconsider ablydifferentmethodsofdatacollectionandw ithverydifferentobjectives,andnotspecifi callyfocusedontheincidenceofrape. ,thestudieswerebasedonsmallsamplesizes.

10 Eveninthosemoregeneralsurveyswithrelativ elylargenumbers, ,theactualnumberoffemalerespondentsinthe sampleof4000adultsforthewhosaidtheyhadbe enrapedin1997wasrathersmall. , ,altogether,atagivenpointintime,forexamp le, ,ontheotherhand,referstothenumberofcases overaspecifiedtimeperiod,forexample, ,forexampletheexperienceofthevictim,thee xtentoftrauma, ,thereforetheyareexcludedfromthisreview, , ,psychological, , (SouthAfricanLawCommission,1999)Firstlyw elookatgender-basedviolence, ,orislikelytoresultinphysical,sexualorps ychologicalharmorsufferingtowomen,includ ingthreatsofsuchacts,coercionorarbitrary deprivationofliberty, :abuse, ,emotional, ,throughtoforcedoralsex, ,inlegaltermsisdefinedastheunlawfulandin tentionalapplicationofforcetoanotherpers on,ormakingthepersonbelievethatsuchforce willimmediatelybeapplied, ,accordingtoSouthAfricanlaw, consistsinamanhavingunlawful, spenis.