Child rapists prey on virgins hoping to cure Aids

Child rapists prey on virgins hoping to cure Aids

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By Lebo Nkatazo

A UNITED Nations report says Zimbabwean men are fuelling Aids by having unprotected sex with virgins in the hope that it would cure the disease.

The United Nations Children's Emegency Fund (Unicef) this week condemned the practice which it blames for the upsurge in cases of children being raped.

UNICEF's Representative in Zimbabwe, Dr Festo Kavishe said: "It is sickening to hear that in 2006 we still have cases where people believe their sexually transmitted diseases can be cured by having sex with [in this case raping] a virgin.

"This is the most repulsive of myths. It needs to be exposed by every community in every corner of the country."

The UN representative was reacting to reports that an HIV-positive high school teacher raped and infected a six-year-old girl with the virus, believing that he would be cured.

Kavishe said: "The magistrate who was presiding over the case and sentenced the teacher to 17 years jail made it clear that [the rapist] raped the girl hoping to heal his sexually transmitted diseases.

"At a time when Zimbabweans are making phenomenal efforts to absorb 1.6 million orphans, there is a small but growing number of people who prey on the most vulnerable of children.

"These children suffer in silence, let down by people and systems meant to protect them. Unseen and unheard, they bear the physical and emotional scars of lives shattered and dreams lost, a permanent reminder of society's failure to offer them a safe environment in which to grow up and thrive."
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