Reported cases of rape and child abuse are sky-rocketing. South Africa's rape rate is double that of the United States. Much of that is fueled by the belief that criminals can get away with it, because the laws are too weak. South Africa has a very low conviction rate for rape. The number of convictions of repeat offenders for rape is relatively small.
             A new survey carried out in the South African city of Johannesburg has uncovered an alarming picture of sexual violence. One in three of the 4,000 women questioned by CIET Africa, non-governmental organization, said they had been raped in the past year. CIET researchers trying to find ways of arresting the alarming growth in sexual violence in South Africa said they were shocked by the finding.
             A woman was raped in South Africa every 17 seconds. This did not include the number of child rape victims. It was estimated that one in every two women would be raped. Between 28 and 30 percent of adolescents reported that their first sexual encounter was forced. Of South African men who knew somebody who had been raped, 16 percent believed that the rape survivor had enjoyed the experience and had asked for it, according to a recent study. Police estimated that only one in 36 rape cases was reported and of those only 15 percent culminated in a conviction.
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