- (Note - I don't know which is best - to castrate or hang
them. In South Africa people have generally begged the government for the
death penalty for Child Rapists. I feel the same way. However, in SA, they
will not bring back the death penalty. At least Zambia is trying to do
something more constructive regarding this disgusting scourge.
-
- Child rape has been brought about by "traditional
healers" who said that sex with virgins, babies, children, etc would
"cure" people of AIDS. --Jan)
-
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- Zambian members of parliament have called for child rapists
to be castrated to curb a growing problem. Police say that 400 cases of
child rape were reported in the first half of 2003 - a 68% increase on
the previous year.
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- Some men say they rape children in the belief that having
sex with a virgin can cure AIDS. Some 20% of Zambians are HIV positive.
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- The call was made in a report by the parliamentary legal
committee, whose recommendations often become law.tc
-
- "The recommendation is the result of the numerous
cases of child defilement in the country," said Amos Nakalonga, Chairman
of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Good Governance and Human Rights. Even
three-month-old babies have been raped. "It's too barbaric to be allowed
to happen," Mr Nakalonga told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
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- "People have observed that existing laws are weak
(and) not deterring people," he said. However, he did not say how
the castration should be carried out, saying this question should be answered
when the bill is drafted. He said it was "likely" that the recommendation
would become law.
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- The incidence of child rape is one factor behind the
high number of young girls who are HIV positive. Some Zambian women's rights
activists also back the MPs' position. Grace Kanyanga, who heads an umbrella
grouping of women's rights campaigners, says that cattle-rustlers can be
sentenced to 25 years in prison, while child rapists get just one or two
years. "Do we value our animals more than our children?" she
asked. "I think castration is nothing compared to raping a nine-month
girl," she told BBC News Online.
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- http://allafrica.com/stories/200311290193.html
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