Comments on: It’s your attitude

By: mjsun

mjsun — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:32:23 +0000

Our atitude applies not only to rape BUT also
w.r.t on the road,racialism,at the bar,at home,
with our husbands,with our wives,with our children
VERY FEW SOUTH AFRICANS GET IT!!!

By: nguni

nguni — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:49:32 +0000

A rape every 26 seconds and only 3% conviction rate?
Convictions rates are even worse since the rape units were stopped?
Most cases not going to court, cops refuse to open dockets?
Its time to sort the mess out ourselves.
Castration is the way to go, with the boot if necessary.

By: b

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:46:04 +0000

Thank you for the all important article. I hope many many women and men read it.

By: Phillipa Lipinski

Phillipa Lipinski — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:58:28 +0000

This is a truly powerful speech. Thank you so much for it. And it is so true; violence is unbelievable in this country. Sadly our politicians are making things worse. We all need to stand up, do something and reclaim our streets from criminals.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:31:38 +0000

Charlene… your writing and your story is itself a tiny ripple of hope. Thank you.

Zero tolerance for abuse of any kind.

By: lebo

lebo — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:54:38 +0000

Why does it take a white person to show our
faults when we as black people go about
accepting not only rape but other crimes too in our community???????????

By: CHUMA

CHUMA — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:02:10 +0000

Thank you Charlene. You’ve made me seriously think about the role I’m playing or failing to play in the world.

By: letstasti

letstasti — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:52:45 +0000

The majority of South africans need to change their ATITUTE as our children are watching

By: Judith

Judith — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:57:53 +0000

Spot on Charlene! We do have two good units working with rape victims and getting good results. One is on the East Rand and Sandton Victim Support are the other. They will have a full post-rape unit up and running in the next year.

A huge question is how do we socialise our young boys correctly to grow up to see women and girls as equals, rather than threats or “to be used”? The rise in rape worldwide illustrates very clearly that there is a strong desire to “show women their place” coming out of extreme patriarchal beliefs. The high levels of resentment displayed towards women being acknowledged as equals and valuable human beings is very worrying.

Women now have to focus on establishing their newly won equality in ways that give them and their daughters a safe and valued place in society,

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:51:49 +0000

Experience is our best teacher, it is said. Charlene Smith asks us to heed it. So let us do that. Take this: NO political agenda for any politician is justified ANY MORE, unless a approach to address and elliminate rape and contact crime is presented. This applies to each and every politician, no matter how “high” their authority is. Heal this society !