Here are the different types of men who commit this crime, from the experience of someone who works with convicted rapists and those who have been released from prison
ACCORDING to crime statistics released last year, the instances of rape decreased by 1.9%.
But though it is claimed the number has decreased, the high occurrence of rape in South Africa is still worrying.
Rosina Maja, a public relations officer of the iThemba Rape and Trauma Centre in Benoni, says there are various reason why women are raped.
In her work with convicted rapists and those who have been released from prison, Maja has been exposed to many different characters and their reasons for committing the crime.
"I spoke to a man who was a serial rapist and he told me that two girls accused him of rape and it wasn't true, so he decided he would actually rape people," she says.
Maja calls this sort of person 'an anger relation rapist' who has hatred towards women and wants to punish or destroy them.
She says there are also men who like to be in control and use that as a reason to rape.
Another common reason that is used is to cure HIV.
"It is a myth that people who have sex with a virgin will be cured of Aids. That's not true," she says.
Maja says there are men referred to as power of reassurance rapists, who are afraid of approaching women and asking them out on dates. Instead they rape women because of their fear of rejection.
Some men simply get sexual satisfaction from hurting their victims. These men are referred to as 'anger excitation rapists'.
"These men feel better after rape. It's someone who enjoys it when a woman cries. If she doesn't cry they don't enjoy it," she says.
"Some men even say they were on drugs and don't remember what they did."
She says during school visits she encountered boys who said they had raped someone because they saw their parents having sex in front of them and wanted to also experience it.
"Some say they just wanted to experiment and raped someone to find out what having sex for the first time feels like."
She urges married women to also know their rights, even within their marriages.
Maja is part of a rehabilitation project that sees rapists who have been released from jail speak at churches and schools on their experience and why rape is a crime.
- nkosin@sowetan.co.za
Why some men violate women
Here are the different types of men who commit this crime, from the experience of someone who works with convicted rapists and those who have been released from prison
ACCORDING to crime statistics released last year, the instances of rape decreased by 1.9%.
But though it is claimed the number has decreased, the high occurrence of rape in South Africa is still worrying.
Rosina Maja, a public relations officer of the iThemba Rape and Trauma Centre in Benoni, says there are various reason why women are raped.
In her work with convicted rapists and those who have been released from prison, Maja has been exposed to many different characters and their reasons for committing the crime.
"I spoke to a man who was a serial rapist and he told me that two girls accused him of rape and it wasn't true, so he decided he would actually rape people," she says.
Maja calls this sort of person 'an anger relation rapist' who has hatred towards women and wants to punish or destroy them.
She says there are also men who like to be in control and use that as a reason to rape.
Another common reason that is used is to cure HIV.
"It is a myth that people who have sex with a virgin will be cured of Aids. That's not true," she says.
Maja says there are men referred to as power of reassurance rapists, who are afraid of approaching women and asking them out on dates. Instead they rape women because of their fear of rejection.
Some men simply get sexual satisfaction from hurting their victims. These men are referred to as 'anger excitation rapists'.
"These men feel better after rape. It's someone who enjoys it when a woman cries. If she doesn't cry they don't enjoy it," she says.
"Some men even say they were on drugs and don't remember what they did."
She says during school visits she encountered boys who said they had raped someone because they saw their parents having sex in front of them and wanted to also experience it.
"Some say they just wanted to experiment and raped someone to find out what having sex for the first time feels like."
She urges married women to also know their rights, even within their marriages.
Maja is part of a rehabilitation project that sees rapists who have been released from jail speak at churches and schools on their experience and why rape is a crime.
- nkosin@sowetan.co.za
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