Anti-rape organisations in the Western Cape see no victory in the 9.9% decrease in rape in the province that was revealed in the latest crime statistics.
Sino Mdunjeni, communications coordinator at Rape Crisis said reported rape cases form only a percentage of total instances of rape.
“So, a decrease in reported rapes is not a victory. There are also various barriers to reporting for survivors, namely, the trauma of reliving the event, living in the same community as the perpetrator and the social implications it will bring, judgement from the community, strangers being privy to a private matter, being turned away at the station, among others,” she said.
Mdunjeni said to look solely at the number of reported rapes and how it varies from quarter to quarter is a skewed, irresponsible and negligent way to look at rape and gender-based violence in this country, as it does not provide the full picture, as various sets of research have been indicating high rates of under-reporting.
“Per the RAPSSA Report published in 2017, research shows that 68% of rape survivors know their perpetrator. The SAPS statistics reflect this, too – survivors are not experiencing rape at the hands of strangers, but by people they know and trust like friends, family, neighbours, colleagues and community members.
“The same report points to the real number that we should be assessing every quarter – the rate at which rapists are being convicted, which is 8.6% and has not increased since 2017.
“In order to ensure that survivors receive the support they need, whether or not they decide to report to SAPS, we have to advocate for all survivors to have access to post-rape care with medical care, a forensic examination, containment counselling, further referrals and the opportunity to report the case if they choose,” she said.
Nozibele Ndunge, a social worker and programme manager at Just Grace, an organisation that deals with rape cases said: “I would not say the stats on rape cases has declined because there are less victims, it is declining because there is an increase in cases that are not being reported because of the outcomes of rape cases.
“It is very traumatic for victims to see perpetrators walk free, and make sure that they are seen by their victims, regardless of the justice procedures and the fact that our people have no full knowledge of the justice system.
“As soon as victims see their perpetrators, they feel that the justice system has failed them. What is going to encourage the next victim to report the case? Maybe the other question that we may ask ourselves is: how can we restore hope in our people in the justice system, so that we can be accurate with the stats of rape cases,” she said.
SAPS in the Western Cape said frequent high density operations aimed at drug outlets and illegal shebeens, which are known generators for sexual-related crime, as well as heightened visible policing in hotspot areas, are all factors at play which can be attributed to the significant reduction of 9,9% of rape cases for the fourth quarter of 2022 / 2023.
“All our operational members are trained to deal with rape and gender- based violence cases and every police station is equipped with a victim-friendly facility where cases of this nature are dealt with.
“Stringent procedures are in place to ensure that case dockets are not stolen or misplaced. In the event that a case docket is destroyed due to a flood or fire, or even stolen, a backup digital copy is available to continue with the investigation without any crucial information being lost,” SAPS said.