When I prepared my speech, I assumed that my sources were accurate and that they had been verified. Ironically I had used as my source a resource document published for journalists in the interests of improved and more accurate reporting around the issue of rape. These statistics, however, are not the reality and to create this impression is counterproductive. To sensationalise the issue of rape by using inaccurate statistics, is to trivialise it and will detract from the gravity and seriousness of the situation. We do, however, need to address the issue of rape and we need to address the issue armed with accurate and relevant information.
Ongoing research is essential to understanding the nature of rape.
An improved understanding of rape and why it happens will empower us in our struggle to eliminate the incidence of rape and the impact it has on our lives. Most recent figures from the National Victims of Crime Survey and referred to by the Monitoring and Analysis Unit of the Secretariat for Safety and Security, indicate that only one in 2 or only half of rapes that occur are reported. This is a tragedy. It is unacceptable and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development takes this matter very seriously. Violence against children, men and women is a reality which too many South Africans experience.