APHIWE Bathakathi was first raped when she was only seven years old.
The 21-year-old from Khayelitsha, Cape Tow, shared her horrific experiences at a 16 Days of Activism event at the weekend of 28 November.
“I was raped twice. The first incident was when I was young and the second was when I was 18,” she said.
Aphiwe said she was raped by someone she knew.
“I can’t say I was raped because I’m a lesbian. As women, we’re all under attack. Men see us as objects.”
Aphiwe said the man who raped her in February 2018 pretended to was his faulty electricity fixed.
“I fix phones and electrical appliances. This guy said I must go to his house and I thought it was just a job.”
She said when she got to the man’s house, he closed the door and raped her.
“I wish something could be done rather than have this event every year. It’s not helping. Those who abuse women aren’t here.”
Aphiwe said the problem would only be fixed when perpetrators were involved in awareness campaigns and saw how much pain they caused.
“This campaign has been there for years, but we don’t see any change. The perpetrators are arrested and then get released on parole.”
Aphiwe said her attacker was arrested, but later released without her being informed.
“Imagine bumping into someone who raped you, someone you thought was in jail. The law is failing us. These officials know the pain we go through because they also attend these events,” she said.
Free Gender organisation founder Funeka Soldaat said the abuse got worse as repeat offenders knew they wouldn’t be arrested.
