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End "Corrective" Rape of Lesbians in South Africa

Target: South African President Kgalema Motlanthe
Sponsored by: Care2

A new ActionAid report describes the shocking rise of "corrective" rape in South Africa - in which South African lesbians are being raped in an effort to "cure" them of their sexual orientation. Support groups in Cape Town say they see 10 new cases of "corrective" rape every week. And it's even more widespread around the rest of the country.

Many perpetrators of rape already go unpunished in South Africa, but the situation is even worse for lesbian women. Indeed, 31 lesbian women have been murdered in homophobic attacks since 1998, but in only one of these cases has there been a conviction.

Although South Africa's constitution recognizes rights of gay and lesbian people, its legal system does not view crimes committed against gay and lesbians on the basis of sexual orientation to be hate crimes. The South African legal system must recognize "corrective" rape as a hate crime in addition to a rape in order to establish a greater punishment for this brutal and widespread act of sexual violence. Urge South African President Kgalema Motlanthe to deem "corrective" rape a hate crime!

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 30,000

35,273
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Dear President Motlanthe,

I am shocked and horrified to read of ActionAid's recent report suggesting that "corrective" rape is widespread throughout South Africa. This practice, in which men rape lesbian women in an effort to "cure" them of their sexual orientation, is horrific and must be stopped.

I appreciate that South Africa's constitution recognizes the rights of gay and lesbian people, but I am deeply disturbed that this does not extend to the legal system. "Corrective" rape must be deemed a hate crime - and be punishable to the fullest extent of South African law.

The fact that 31 lesbian women have been murdered in homophobic attacks since 1998, and only two perpetrators have gone to trial - and only one has been convicted - demonstrates a clear problem with South Africa's judicial system. Women never deserved to be raped - and being a lesbian is not something that can be corrected by forcible heterosexual intercourse. "Corrective" rape must be deemed a hate crime and an emphasis must be placed on arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes.

[Your comment here]

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
[Your name here]

We took action on “End "Corrective" Rape of Lesbians in South Africa”!

# 35,309:

10:32 am PST, Nov 21, Loris Caldero, Massachusetts
This is so sad.

# 35,308:

2:27 am PST, Nov 21, Gina Havens, Iowa

# 35,307:

10:02 pm PST, Nov 20, Soo Thacker, Alaska

# 35,306:

12:19 pm PST, Nov 20, Susana Lax, Florida

# 35,305:

7:49 am PST, Nov 20, Susanne Dawn Plumb, California

# 35,304:

10:37 pm PST, Nov 19, Diana Lee, South Africa

# 35,303:

6:58 pm PST, Nov 19, Brande Pickerel, Washington

# 35,302:

6:06 pm PST, Nov 19, Steven Heaver, New Jersey

# 35,301:

3:44 pm PST, Nov 19, Jae Matos, Texas
Dear Mr. President, right now you are the only hope your people have of stopping this sensless act against the lesbian women in your country. Surely you do not believe that raping these women will "cure" them. I hope that you can help all the people in your country, for you really are their hope.

# 35,300:

3:19 pm PST, Nov 18, Karisa Cotter, Arkansas

# 35,299:

2:26 pm PST, Nov 18, Alesia Febus, New York

# 35,298:

1:36 pm PST, Nov 18, Terry Tedesco-Kerrick, Arizona

# 35,297:

9:55 am PST, Nov 18, Jerry Peavy, California

# 35,296:

9:32 pm PST, Nov 17, Sara Neveu, New Hampshire

# 35,295:

3:19 pm PST, Nov 17, Shane Sylvester, Louisiana

# 35,294:

7:53 am PST, Nov 17, Ellie Shain, California

# 35,293:

4:37 am PST, Nov 17, Gary Kuehnapfel, New Jersey

# 35,292:

4:00 am PST, Nov 17, Caroline McCord, United Kingdom

# 35,291:

5:26 pm PST, Nov 16, Gretchen Lutz, California

# 35,290:

5:02 pm PST, Nov 16, Theresia Cronan, California

# 35,289:

9:36 am PST, Nov 16, John Rokas, Michigan

# 35,288:

6:26 pm PST, Nov 15, Gino Mazzella, New York
This is beyone inhumane! Please end this --this IS a hate crime.

# 35,287:

5:47 pm PST, Nov 15, Lorene Rowland, Montana

# 35,286:

11:29 am PST, Nov 15, Miriam Rogers, Ireland

# 35,285:

11:21 am PST, Nov 15, Kenneth Knoppik, Florida

# 35,284:

9:16 am PST, Nov 15, Whitney P, Virginia

# 35,283:

2:49 am PST, Nov 15, Wayan Colenso, Australia

# 35,282:

12:09 pm PST, Nov 13, Karen Frank, New York

# 35,281:

3:40 am PST, Nov 13, Allyson Sites, Indiana

# 35,280:

4:54 pm PST, Nov 12, Hailey Wohlwend, California
why? these are your people. people with lives and hopes and dreams and families and friends and goals to fulfill. Places to go things to do people to see! and your letting people lose all that just because of what they believe in? WHY?

# 35,279:

10:49 am PST, Nov 12, Marcy Arbitman, Illinois

# 35,278:

9:10 am PST, Nov 12, Kevin Silvey, Florida

# 35,277:

6:42 am PST, Nov 12, Dan Cappelllo, Pennsylvania

# 35,276:

11:55 am PST, Nov 11, Marian Duggan, United Kingdom
Rape is wrong. Lesbianism is not something that can, or should, even be 'changed'. No woman should be raped for any reason. Why on earth people think that women will be MORE inclined to have sex with a man after he or multiple men force her to have sex is ridiculous. Lesbianism is being used as an excuse to rape women. Men are at fault. Men are to blame. Male rapists need help as there is something very, very wrong with their minds. They are mentally ill. We need to start this, not just in South Africa, but everywhere.

# 35,275:

7:19 am PST, Nov 11, Carrie Benn, United Kingdom
Please act swiftly to prevent this happening to more innocent women.

# 35,274:

4:33 am PST, Nov 11, Mairead Hegarty, United Kingdom

# 35,273:

4:17 am PST, Nov 11, Paddy McNicholl, United Kingdom

# 35,272:

2:30 am PST, Nov 11, Judith Cross, Ireland

# 35,271:

2:05 am PST, Nov 11, Annie Campbell, United Kingdom

# 35,270:

1:55 am PST, Nov 11, Helen McLaughlin, United Kingdom

# 35,269:

1:35 am PST, Nov 11, Name not displayed, United Kingdom
Could you please review your legislation on this matter as a matter of urgency.

# 35,268:

8:11 pm PST, Nov 10, Madeline Rosario, New York

# 35,267:

8:42 am PST, Nov 10, Innocentia Luthuli, New York
Stop in the name of God

# 35,266:

7:43 am PST, Nov 10, Ashley Waldemar, New Jersey

# 35,265:

7:37 am PST, Nov 10, Adelinny Plaza, New Jersey

# 35,264:

7:19 am PST, Nov 10, Pricelis Perreaux, New York
This world should be as beautiful and we claim to make it. Let's stop this hate and spread love anywhere and everywhere we go. Everyone deserves to love who they love, who are you to tell them they're wrong? The world-wide police need to fix the way they "protect and serve" us. peace&positivity!

# 35,263:

10:19 pm PST, Nov 9, Pam Boland, Georgia

# 35,262:

4:58 pm PST, Nov 9, Kyle Maziuk, Connecticut

# 35,261:

6:11 am PST, Nov 8, Lee Sanghan, Korea, Republic Of
So sad

# 35,260:

5:11 am PST, Nov 8, Mma Yeebo, United Kingdom

# 35,259:

12:34 am PST, Nov 8, Miguel Dias, New York

# 35,258:

11:20 pm PST, Nov 7, FREYA HALL, Florida

# 35,257:

4:19 pm PST, Nov 6, Rita Wild, Ireland

# 35,256:

11:43 pm PST, Nov 5, Olga Maslovskaya, Illinois

# 35,255:

1:38 pm PST, Nov 5, Name not displayed, Norway

# 35,254:

5:19 am PST, Nov 5, Adam Eldridge, Maine

# 35,253:

5:26 am PST, Nov 4, Deimante Karpaviciute, United Kingdom

# 35,252:

10:16 am PST, Nov 3, Sanne Elshof, Netherlands

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