Mbeki Appeals for End to Child Rape
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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — President Thabo Mbeki used his New Year’s message Friday to call on South Africans to stop a wave of rapes of babies and children.
“Rapes occur in our homes, they occur amongst relatives, they occur among people who know one another,” he said. “We must make sure that indeed we break the silence with regard to this, that we report the wrongdoers to the police and make sure that the system of justice punishes these people appropriately.”
South Africans were shocked by a spate of baby rapes in late 2001. Many were by men who believe that sex with a virgin will cure them of AIDS, anti-rape organizations say.
An estimated one in nine South Africans has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
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