Quantitativeresearchfindingson RAPE inSouthAfrica StatisticsSouthAfrica PrivateBagX44 Pretoria0001 SouthAfrica Steyn'sBuilding 274SchoemanStreet Pretoria Usersenquiries:(012)310-8600 Fax:(012)310-8500 Mainswitchboard:(012)310-8911 Fax:(012)322-3374 E-mail:[email protected] Website:www.statssa.gov.za Quantitativeresearchfindingson RAPE inSouthAfrica StatisticsSouthAfrica DrFMOrkin 2000 Head PublishedbyStatisticsSouthAfrica PrivateBagX44 Pretoria 0001 ISBN0-621-30161-2 ©StatisticsSouthAfrica,2000 Thispublication,includingthedataonwhichitisbased,iscopyright.Apartfromusespermitted undertheCopyrightAct1978,nopartofitmaybereproducedorcopiedinanyformatorbyany process,andnoreproductionorcopymaybesold,withoutpriorpermissionorlicencefrom StatisticsSouthAfrica. Authors: RosHirschowitz ChiefDirector,ResearchandDevelopment StatisticsSouthAfrica SebleWorku DirectorateofAnalysis StatisticsSouthAfrica MarkOrkin Head StatisticsSouthAfrica StatsSALibraryCataloguing-in-Publication(CIP)Data QuantitativeresearchfindingsonrapeinSouthAfrica/StatisticsSouthAfrica.-Pretoria: StatisticsSouthAfrica,2000 43p. Authors:RosHirschowitz,SebleWorku, MarkOrkin ISBN6-621-30161-2 1.Rape-SouthAfrica.2.Women-Crimeagainst.3.Research. I.StatisticsSouthAfrica. (LCSH16) AcompletesetofStatsSApublicationsisavailableattheStatsSAlibraryandthefollowing publiclibraries: •NationalLibraryofSouthAfrica,PretoriaDivision •NationalLibraryofSouthAfrica,CapeTownDivision •LibraryofParliament,CapeTown •BloemfonteinPublicLibrary •NatalSocietyLibrary,Pietermaritzburg •JohannesburgPublicLibrary •EasternCapeLibraryServices,KingWilliam’sTown •CentralRegionalLibrary,Pietersburg •CentralReferenceLibrary,Nelspruit •CentralReferenceCollection,Kimberley •CentralReferenceLibrary,Mmabatho Acknowledgements StatsSAacknowledgesthefollowinginstitutionsandindividualsfortheircontributiontothe report: •MsAnneLetsebe,DeputyDirectorGeneralandHeadofCabinetOfficeintheOfficeofthe President. •DrMarkShaw,DirectorofMonitoringandAnalysisintheDepartmentofSafetyandSecurity, andhiscolleagues. •DrLorraineGlanz,DirectorofCrimeStatisticsintheDepartmentofJustice,andher colleagues. •DrRachelJewkes,DirectoroftheWomen'sHealthResearchUnit,MedicalResearchCouncil, andhercolleaguesfromtheMedicalResearchCouncilandtheDepartmentofHealth. •DrChrisdeKock,Head:CrimeInformationAnalysisCentre,andhiscolleaguesoftheSouth AfricanPoliceServices. •TheDepartmentofCorrectionalServices. •MrTonyTrew,andhiscolleaguesintheGovernmentCommunicationandInformation System. •AlltheotherorganisationsthatmadetheirresearchavailabletoStatsSA. Contents Page Executivesummary Incidenceandprevalenceofrape1 Profileofthevictimsandvictim–offenderrelationships2 Outcomeofreportingrapetothepolice2 Internationalcomparison3 Reliabilityandvalidityofrapestatistics3 Chapter1:Introduction Background5 Defininganddistinguishingthecrimeofrape5 Difficultiesincollectingrapestatistics6 Availablesourcesofdata6 Structureoftherestofthereport7 Chapter2:Nationalandprovincialsurveys Thevictimsofcrimesurveyof19989 Violenceagainstwomeninthreeprovinces(1998)15 TheSouthAfricandemographicandhealthsurveyof199816 Chapter3:Statisticsfromregistersandotherrecords CrimeinformationanalysiscentreoftheSouthAfricanPoliceServices21 Riskfactorsassociatedwithrape24 Sentencesbeingservedbysexualoffenders27 Internationalcomparison27 Integration28 Chapter4:Localisedorsmallscalesurveys Changeandcontinuity:AsurveyofSowetointhelate1990s29 ViolenceagainstwomeninmetropolitanSouthAfrica29 Cityvictimsurveys30 Theroleofthepoliceinthepreventionofsexualviolence31 RapesurveillancethroughthedistrictsurgeonofficesinJohannesburg,1996-199832 Domesticviolenceagainstwomen:acloselookatintimatepartnerviolence33 Durbanmetropolitanstudy33 RapeCrisis-CapeTownstatisticsfor199833 Commonfindingsacrossthestudies34 Cautions34 AppendixA:Majorsurveys AppendixB:Minorsurveys References Listoffiguresandtables Page Figure1:PercentageofrespondentsintheVictimsofcrimesurvey whosaidthey wererapedinthefiveyearspriortothestudybyageatthetimeofthe interview(allfiguresareweighted)12 Figure2:Thedayofweekwhentherapeoccurred26 Table1:Numberandpercentageofwomensexuallyabusedorrapedbypopulation group(allfiguresareweightedtothepopulation)11 Table2:CircumstancesofrapeintheVictimsofcrimesurvey (allfiguresareweighted)13 Table3:Whetherornotaweaponwasusedintherapeepisode(allfiguresare weighted)13 Table4:Therateofreportingrapetothepoliceandreasonsfornotreporting (allfiguresareweighted)14 Table5:Numberandpercentageofwomenaged15–49yearseverraped,by populationgroupandage18 Table6:CasesofrapeorattemptedrapereportedtotheSouthAfricanPolice Servicesin199822 Table7: Outcomeof1998investigationsofcasesofrapeorattemptedrape reportedtotheSouthAfricanPoliceServices23 Table8:Numberandpercentageofvariouscategoriesofcrimesreportedin199823 Table9:Convictionratesofrapesorattemptedrapesreportedin199824 Table10:DatafromdocketstudyconductedbytheCrimeInformationAnalysis Centre25 Table11:Sentencedprisonersconvictedofsexualoffencesbyageandprovince, 199827 Table12:Rapestatisticsfromselectedcountries28 TableA1DatafromViolenceagainstwomeninthreeSouthAfricanprovinces 35 TableA2:DatafromtheSouthAfricandemographicandhealthsurvey:number andpercentageofwomenaged15–49yearswhowereeverraped,by populationgroupandprovince36 TableA3:DatafromtheSouthAfricandemographicandhealthsurvey:relationship ofoffendertovictimandrateofreportingtothepolice37 TableB1:Datafrom Changeandcontinuity:AsurveyofSowetointhelate1990s39 TableB2:DatafromViolenceagainstwomeninmetropolitanSouthAfrica 40 TableB3:DatafromCrimeinPretoria:resultsofacityvictimsurvey 41 TableB4:DatafromRapeCrisisCapeTownstatisticalreport1998 41 TableB5:Datafrom Rapesurveillancethroughdistrictsurgeonofficesin Johannesburg,1996-1998 42 PLEASETURNTHEPAGE Executivesummary Incidenceandprevalenceofrape Thisstudyprovidesanoverviewofavailableliteratureontheprevalenceandincidenceofrapein SouthAfrica,theresponseofthecriminaljusticesystemtosuchcrimesandthecharacteristicsof thosewhocommitrape. ThereareindeedvariousstudiesofrapeinSouthAfricafromwhichrapestatisticsmaybe extracted,butnoneofthesestudieswerespecificallydesignedtomeasuretheprevalenceand/or incidenceofthiscrime.Thesestudies,althoughapproachedfromdifferentperspectivesand usingdiversemethods,comeupwithroughlysimilarpatternsortrendsassummarisedbelow. Prevalencereferstohowmanycasesthereare,altogether,atagivenpointintime,forexample, howmanypeoplethereareinanycountryonthedayofapopulationcensus.Incidence,onthe otherhand,referstothenumberofcasesoveraspecifiedtimeperiod,forexample,thenumberof childrenper100000ofthepopulationthatwereborninagivenyear. Internationally,allcrimesincludingrapearereportedasincidencestatisticsforagivenyear. Withinthatyear,theyarereportedasaproportionof100000ofthetotalpopulation.Inthisreport, StatsSAcontinuestofollowthisreportingmethod,ratherthananyother.Ittakespopulationsize intoaccount,andtheresultingincidenceofrapecanbecomparedtotheincidenceofothercrimes inSouthAfrica,forexamplecartheft,ortothesimilarlyreportedincidenceofrapeinother countries. Itisinappropriatetoreportrapeoranyothercrimeinacountrysimplyoveratimeperiod,for example‘twowomanarerapedeveryminute’,withouttakingpopulationsizeintoaccount. Usingthismethod,ChinaoreventheUnitedStateswiththeirlargepopulationswouldhavemany morerapesperminutethancountrieswithsmallerpopulationssuchasSouthAfrica. ThebestsourceofnationalincidencedataistheVictimsofcrimesurvey,conductednationally amongaprobabilitysampleof4000respondentsaged16yearsormorebyStatsSAforthe DepartmentofSafetyandSecurityin1998.Accordingtotheproportionofwomeninthisstudy whosaidtheywererapedduring1997,StatsSAcalculatedthat55000SouthAfricanwomen wererapevictimsin1997.Thisfiguretranslatesinto134womenrapedper100000ofthetotal populationin1997.(Sincesomewomenwererapedmorethanonce,theactualincidencewas143 per100000ofthepopulation.)Italso meansthatapproximately0,4%ofwomenaged16yearsor morewererapedin1997. ThisfindingisofasimilarmagnitudetothatfoundintheViolenceagainstwomen study conductedinthreeprovinces(Mpumalanga,EasternCapeandNorthernProvince)in1998,bythe MedicalResearchCouncil,amongaprobabilitysampleof1300womenaged15to49years. TheVictimsofcrimesurvey foundthat68womenper100000ofthepopulationsaidthattheyhad reportedtherapeincidenttothepolice(approximatelyhalfofthosewhosaidtheyhadbeen raped). SouthAfricanpolicestatisticsontheincidenceofrapereportedtothepolice,ascalculatedfor Interpol,whichincludeattemptedrapeandrapeofchildren,were120casesper100000ofthe populationin1996.Approximately40%ofreportedrapecasesarerapeofchildrenundertheage of18years.Whenthepolicestatisticsareadjustedaccordingly,theyyieldapproximately72 rapesorattemptedrapesofwomenovertheageof18yearsper100000ofthetotalpopulationin 1996.Thisissimilartothe68womenper100000ofthepopulationwhosaidthattheyhad reportedtherapeincidenttothepoliceintheVictimsofcrimesurvey. Profileofthevictimsandvictim–offenderrelationships Trendsacrosssurveystendtobesimilarregardingtheprofileofthevictimsofrapeandtheir relationshipwiththeoffenders,buttheactualproportionstendtodifferfromstudytostudy.We reportheremainlyfromtheVictimsofcrimesurvey, asthisisthemostcomprehensivesurvey coveringtheseissues. •Victimsofrapetendtobeyoungerwomen,agedfrom16to25years(2,7%ofallwomeninthis agecategorysaidtheyhadbeenrapedinthefiveyearspriortotheinterviewofMarch1998, comparedwith1,8%ofallwomenagedbetween26and45yearsduringthistimeperiod), althoughrapeoccursinallagegroups. •Rapeamongwomenwasmorelikelytobeperpetratedbymenknowntothem.Thusamong womenwhosaidtheywererapedduringthefiveyearspriortotheinterviewofMarch1998, 34,6%wererapedbyrelativesormenwhowereintimatewiththevictims.Theproportionwho