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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

35,225
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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”!

# 35,261:

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

# 35,251:

6:25 am PST, Nov 3, Nancy Juskowich, Pennsylvania

# 35,250:

3:32 pm PST, Nov 2, Marissa Chiappetta, Florida

# 35,249:

12:08 pm PST, Nov 2, Brett Crowley, New Zealand

# 35,248:

11:21 am PST, Nov 2, Anna Aiello, New York

# 35,247:

7:45 am PST, Nov 2, Name not displayed, Louisiana
I urge you to make a change and protect these citizens from further harm.

# 35,246:

5:43 am PDT, Oct 31, Elizabeth O'Connor, Hawaii

# 35,245:

10:25 pm PDT, Oct 28, Lance Gimenez, Florida

# 35,244:

11:11 am PDT, Oct 28, Virginia Collins, California

# 35,243:

7:28 am PDT, Oct 28, Claire Kugelman-Kropp, California
It is time for this government to stop this vulgar attempt to change human nature. We are not all alike. Human beings come in all colors, races, religions, and sexual orientations. Join the 21st century and stop ignorant Middle Age witch hunts.

# 35,242:

12:19 am PDT, Oct 28, Ivy M, California

# 35,241:

6:20 am PDT, Oct 27, Andrea Trembly, Florida

# 35,239:

7:30 am PDT, Oct 26, Elaine Dixon, Florida

# 35,238:

5:23 pm PDT, Oct 25, Name not displayed, New York
Rape is disgusting and destroys the spirit of its victims. This MUST end.

# 35,237:

1:28 pm PDT, Oct 25, Marc Rubin, New Jersey

# 35,236:

7:09 am PDT, Oct 25, Regina Poirier, Arizona
There is so much HATE in this world, please, look at these poor women as if they were your own daughters, beliefs and religions do not justify another sin, and rape is a sin, these men can not go unpunished for there manipulative excuses as to why they are doing this, they know what they are doing is just pleasing themselves.

# 35,235:

7:02 am PDT, Oct 25, Tattiana Delfino, Florida

# 35,234:

5:29 am PDT, Oct 25, Name not displayed, Armed Forces Europe

# 35,233:

6:19 pm PDT, Oct 24, Lynn Elliott, North Carolina

# 35,232:

1:10 pm PDT, Oct 24, Claudia L.H. Fisher, Arizona

# 35,231:

5:56 am PDT, Oct 24, Mike Wise, Tennessee

# 35,230:

8:10 pm PDT, Oct 23, Name not displayed, Illinois

# 35,229:

8:10 pm PDT, Oct 23, Samantha Polk, Nevada

# 35,228:

12:03 am PDT, Oct 23, Jenni Logan, United Kingdom

# 35,227:

7:08 am PDT, Oct 22, Anita Lock, Ohio

# 35,226:

5:50 am PDT, Oct 22, Stephen Knorr, Australia
Any rape is a heinous act. Men should not behave like savages. Women have equal human rights.

# 35,225:

6:30 am PDT, Oct 21, C.E. Ariel Diertani, Pennsylvania

# 35,224:

4:26 pm PDT, Oct 20, Name not displayed, Australia

# 35,223:

6:45 am PDT, Oct 20, Name not displayed, Netherlands
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Jesus: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Jesus: Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is our savior, President Motlanthe. Not you, you can't rape away the gay!

# 35,222:

9:25 pm PDT, Oct 19, Tristan Lestat, Alabama

# 35,221:

1:58 pm PDT, Oct 19, Joan Joesting, Florida

# 35,220:

10:38 am PDT, Oct 19, Tamila Foster-Carter, Kansas

# 35,219:

8:15 am PDT, Oct 18, Ann Lin, Taiwan
Please respect all women. Because your mother,sister and girlfriend or wife,they are females.

# 35,218:

5:57 am PDT, Oct 18, Kamlendra Singh, India

# 35,217:

1:01 am PDT, Oct 18, Can Atik, Turkey

# 35,216:

6:49 pm PDT, Oct 17, Rhonda Benz, Ohio

# 35,215:

3:34 pm PDT, Oct 17, ESTER C, United Kingdom

# 35,214:

10:43 am PDT, Oct 17, Fenneke Gonggrijp, Netherlands

# 35,213:

7:37 am PDT, Oct 17, Ivette Van Putten, Netherlands

# 35,212:

6:28 am PDT, Oct 17, Claudette Morrison, United Kingdom

# 35,211:

4:31 am PDT, Oct 17, Amie Anderson, Australia

# 35,210:

3:48 am PDT, Oct 17, Name not displayed, United Kingdom
I am a gay woman - I choose to be gay due to my own decision in who or what I am attracted to. Men forcing themselves on women is not going to make them decide to turn back to men, far from it. It will repulse them, make them feel fear and distrust men... and probably hate them. Homosexuality is not a disease or a mental health problem i it is a normal personal decision in the modern world we live in where everyone deserves the choice to be who they want. Therefore these men thinking they can 'cure' homosexuality is in itself very ignorant, whilst rape and murder are horrific, wrong and those who committ it deserve to be punished - life in prison. Corrective rape is homophobic attacks and the thinking behind it needs to be addressed and corrected - I think the men who believe they can "cure" women by attacking and raping them need something to cure themselves for their disgusting, brutal, violent and horrific behaviour, actions and thoughts.

# 35,209:

11:12 pm PDT, Oct 16, Roger Panning, Ohio

# 35,208:

9:32 pm PDT, Oct 16, Name not displayed, Maine

# 35,207:

5:11 pm PDT, Oct 15, Jan Rigby, United Kingdom

# 35,206:

12:03 pm PDT, Oct 15, Rocio Cuevas, Spain

# 35,205:

10:13 am PDT, Oct 15, Dawn Milner, Missouri

# 35,204:

9:35 am PDT, Oct 15, Stephen Landstreet, Pennsylvania
Rape is a shameful crime against humanity, no matter whom it is perpetrated on! Unfortunately it is so often inflicted on the most vulnerable in society, and South Africa needs to step up and stop this viciousness right now!

# 35,203:

4:28 pm PDT, Oct 14, Sania Parekh, Texas
Absolutely heart wrenching and horrifying to think of this kind of human rights violation occuring on a daily basis.

# 35,202:

3:04 pm PDT, Oct 14, Kyle S, New Jersey

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