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Some common characteristics of rapists and what to watch out for
Betty Makoni, Director, Girl Child Network
July 27, 2004

1. Virgins Cure Aids Belief And Girls As Safety Nets Rapists
Belief that if one wants to be cured of HIV and AIDS the first blood of a virgin mixed with certain herbs can certainly cure one of HIV and AIDS has topped our list of rapists in GCN. One man in Glen View confessed to his daughter he had to rape her for he could not remain poor and ill. The rapist is still out of custody and is walking scot free. The following story aptly written by GCN Director serves to give a good example. It is entitled " A Real Life Story"

On that day, my father brought in a traditional healer from Chivhu. This traditional healer I now prefer to call "witchdoctor", had come several times to our house to assist my father whose health continued to deteriorate.

I heard them talking for a long time

The witchdoctor opened dialogue, 'See to it that when you break her vaginal membrane you suck out her blood. This blood is the one you will mix with your semen. To be strong, take this medicine and put it round your knife. Smear your semen with blood from her vagina around your waist, you understand?' I heard my father agreeing.

His illness had become worse. He had brought this witchdoctor and many others who never assisted him in any way except to prescribe him with different medicines. Now this witchdoctor moved round the house and sprinkled water right round.

Before two weeks came to an end, my father came into my room in the middle of the night. I was in form one and aged thirteen. On several times, I had witnessed scores of girls coming in and out of his house. I could tell from the look of their eyes that they had been abused. I could tell from the look on their faces.

On the day my father raped me, he forced my legs open supposedly taking blood from my vagina. I could feel him mixing it with some fluids from his male organ. On yet another event, he forced me to give him my menstrual blood at knifepoint.

From that day onwards, my father raped me almost on a daily basis. Some people think I should have reported immediately, but then put yourself in my position. I kept on saying inside my heart, 'This is an evil man and I hate this man'. I said it several times daily in English because I was very shy to speak this of my father even in my own language.

I have always thought about my life and seems everything is very hard. My father and mother divorced when I was only three years old. My sister passed away in 2000 after several years of sexual abuse by my father. In the ten years I was with my father he married and divorced up to ten women who, because of the abuse they suffered from my father, vented their frustrations on me. The youngest woman to be married to my father was fourteen years.

One day, I ran away and went to report to my mother. My mother and I reported to Girl Child Network. My father died in 2002. His case was still before the courts. Now I am alone. From his pension I found no cent. I am now eighteen and married and I have a baby.

My story is known to everybody in the small town I live and everyone despises my husband for marrying me. Words destroy and I wonder how far his own love for me got destroyed. I am just living, waiting for the day when God calls me. Blessed are those children dearly loved by their parents, not my father who is like a hen that ate its own eggs (This is a true story I wrote about a girl I assisted)

This group of rapists is everywhere and they rape any girls they suspect to be virgins. What they want is the blood to cleanse them of HIV and AIDS. They rape mostly girls who are 12 years and below.

2. Violent, Rogue, Hooligan, Sadists Rapists of Minors
It is believed that this group of rapists rape at least 50 girls in their life time and they are believed to be sadists- more or less like mental cases with mission to harm women. Most of these rapists who are walking scot free are mostly seasoned criminals, perpetrators of domestic violence men who either witnessed or experienced sexual violence in their life time, very violent and with hooligan rogue type of behaviour. We have closely followed a lot of rape cases that come to us where girls are just dragged into cars, isolated houses, raped and threatened in the event that they report. Having studied closely the techniques used by the Norton rapist and many others of his type characteristic of these rapists is they threaten children with death and with all sorts of weapons . They use weapons during the act of raping to silence the victim. Rapists of this nature include close relatives fathers, grandfathers, uncles, neighbours and street children.

3. Impotence Booster Rapists
They rape for male dominance and the desire to overpower the most vulnerable. They have experienced violence themselves as little boys, they are sometimes of no fixed aboard and also have extramarital affairs in cases of those married, they want to boost their impotence they are mostly experts in destroying evidence and girls never open up. These rapists like above are violent.

This group is normally not first offenders of rape. This group comprise murderers even those we consider innocent like pastors, teachers and even some respected professionals and very old grandfathers. They are disguised as fathers, teachers, pastors, entertainers, those who give lifts and they lure little girls with money, sweets and all sorts. These are wolves in sheep's clothes. A lot more children who are raped by these never break silence on rape that easily for they have bestowed so much trust in them and children know they are well trusted in communities.

4. Marriage Pretext Rapists
This is a group of rapists under the guise of churches who after raping girls confess before congregations and go on to marry them. The girls endure trauma and sexual slavery for the rest of their lives. GCN got stories from Muzarabani and Bocha and full investigations should be launched with a number of apostolic sect churches. Rape is regarded in such churches as norm and it is so well organised that many a times it goes unnoticed and unchallenged. The girls in these churches live in fear and there is growing anxiety as to what becomes of them after the marriage. Since rape is church organised all men in such churches though rapists in their own right have never tested the wrath of law and in a number of circumstances their sexual over dominance and overpowering of girls has spilled over to girls even outside their churches.

5. Idlers and Sexual Desire Rapists
They say an idle mind is a dangerous mind. For these rapists it is rape of minors out of a situation where they are idle and nothing occupies their minds except images of naked women. Normally these have burning desires to sleep with all sorts of women. These include but not limited to our housekeepers and garden boys as well as our herd boys. Though they normally sleep with older women commercial sex workers infected by an STI, any woman within their proximity is at potential risk for there is build up of violent sexual desire in them .They let their sexual desires carry them too far to a level of even raping babies in nappies. Since they are not so experienced in destroying evidence this group has been caught by the law a lot of times. A lot of times these men feel young girls are safe nets and having sex with them reduces their chances of contracting HIV and AIDS. They have myths about women`s sexuality and give all kinds of excuses for raping to include mini skirts or I thought she liked it. They regret the whole act and many at times apologise to the victim and voluntarily offer compensation to skip jail.

6. Teenage Sex Orientation Rapists
We identified a lot more of young boys who rape minors whom they feel are most vulnerable and not in control. They ask girls out and forcibly have sex with them. These are aged 15-20. They also go to older women but myth surrounding girls forces to want to experiment and show their "macho". They go about boasting a lot about their sexual adventures and at times they develop a habit of forcing girls to have sex.

7. HIV Revenge Mission Rapists
There are so many reasons why men rape minors. Some men are just frustrated especially when they have contracted HIV and AIDS. They are men on a mission to just infect every innocent girl they come across.These rape for cruelty to revenge their bad past sexual experiences with other women.

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