The chaste are rewarded with colorful certificates, praise from their parents, and bragging rights in their communities. Each is another small victory in their country's battle with an epidemic that now infects 1 in 10 South Africans, and as many as 1 in 3 in some rural areas. This girl passed a test proving her virginity. Until a few years ago, such chastity tests were reserved for Zulu brides who had to prove their purity before their parents and future in-laws settled on a dowry. But experts say the tests are not grounded in science.
Physicians even admit it is difficult to accurately check for virginity.
And it is young girls who are almost exclusively tested by such programs, raising tough questions regarding sexism and civil-liberties violations. But in a country where nothing seems successful in stemming the tide of new AIDS cases, some people see this as a small step in the right direction - the beginnings of a culture of chastity. Or they believe in AIDS, but they don't know how to protect themselves. We are telling them how to protect themselves. We are telling them to abstain from sex.