Citation

Richter LM. Child Abuse Rev. 2003; 12(6): 392-400.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/car.824

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There is historical evidence of the rape of infants and toddlers, and contemporary ‘baby rapes’ have been reported in a number of countries. In South Africa, the rape of infants and toddlers occurs at a low but consistent level. The acute public recognition of the rape of infants and toddlers in South Africa was occasioned by the case of a particularly shocking, widely reported rape in late 2001, followed in rapid succession by the rape of several other infants. Attempts to explain the rape of infants and toddlers include the socialization influences on men of the country's violent apartheid past, as well as virgin cleansing myths which have arisen in the context of the country's rampant HIV/AIDS epidemic. Added to this is an uneven child rights environment and a poorly functioning police and justice system. Even under the concerted influence of environmental pressures, the rape of an infant or a toddler is an extremely brutal act which requires both psychological and social explanation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.