In South Africa, women are commonly viewed as being inferior to men, as possessions, and as needing to be led and controlled. Elsewhere throughout Africa, widespread and systematic sexual violence against women and girls has been described as a weapon with which factions terrorize the civilian populations during conflicts. It’s so disturbing because this action is analogous to the most severe form of female genital mutilation practiced in parts of Africa.

The perineum is split with a finger, knife, or similar object, presumably to facilitate penetrative intercourse in girls as young as 5 years old and they are sold into early marriage. Most of these crimes are committed by ‘normal’ people, the ones with no medical background! In the case of infant rape, the risk of HIV transmission is likely to be very high because physical injury is common and, in view of the prevailing myth, because the assailants are probably HIV positive. If the green light is given for the provision of anti-retroviral agents to children, strategies must be put in place to improve compliance with follow-up and treatment, a serious problem in developing countries.

The plight of women in South Africa really is abysmal and the government really needs to do something about this, but the worst part is such things even happen in India. Infact rape is no longer an unusual phenomenon, which is disgraceful in itself. I was appalled when I heard about the rape of a three-month-old baby in Kheri in Uttar Pradesh in December. Then there was another story that I came across today of a 28-year-old man being charged for raping his 78-year-old grandmother at Jaffarpur in south-west Delhi on Tuesday night.

This incident came to light when the neighbours found the victim crying outside her house early on Wednesday morning. After the victim narrated her plight, the neighbours informed the police. The accused is a daily wage labourer, was reportedly drunk at the time of the incident. Incidentally, the accused had been brought up by his grandmother and not his parents. This is the most disgusting and disturbing incident ever! This clearly sends out the distressing message that no woman is safe….be it a baby, a teenager or an old woman..truly shameful!