Although HIV prevention campaigns usually encourage people to use condoms and have fewer sexual partners, women and girls in South Africa are often unable to negotiate safer sex and are frequently involved with men who have several sexual partners. They are also particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse and rape, and are economically and socially subordinate to men. Police reports suggest that in 2004-2005 there were at least 55,114 cases of rape in South Africa 23, although the actual figure is undoubtedly higher than this since the majority of cases go unreported. In a 2006 study of 1,370 South African men, nearly one fifth revealed that they had raped a woman.24 Rape plays a significant role in the high prevalence of HIV among women in South Africa.
Women often face more severe discrimination than men if they are known to be HIV-positive. This can lead to physical abuse and the loss of economic stability if their partners leave them. Since antenatal testing gives them a greater chance of being identified as HIV-positive, women are sometimes branded as ‘spreaders’ of infection.
The government has acknowledged that many women face ‘triple oppression’ in South African society – oppression on the grounds of race, class and gender – and has been making efforts to address this problem, through education and skills development schemes.25 In September 2007 rape laws were strengthened to stop judges and magistrates taking into account factors such as a rape victim's sexual history, their apparent lack of physical injury, or the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, when deciding on the length of the perpetrator's sentence.
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