Let's scream rape from the rooftops

THE rape of a 23-year-old student in Delhi has sent shock waves around the world.

We know about it because residents of Delhi made sure the world witnessed their outrage. The protest spread all the way to Mumbai, which is more than 1000km away from where the incident happened.

The people of India - women, men and children - did not say: "Oh shame, but this has nothing to do with me." They were out there, gathering in their thousands and marching to the Mohandas K Gandhi memorial over several days after the incident on December 16, demanding justice for the victim.

They faced the police, pulled down barricades and amplified their voices. Sadly, the young woman died from injuries to her intestines in a Singapore hospital. The activism of the nation did not end with news of her death. When her body was flown in for cremation, thousands held a vigil, lighting candles and vowing to continue with protests.

So massive was the protest that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came out to receive the body and vowed: "While she may have lost her battle for life, it is up to us all to ensure that her death will not have been in vain."

Are there any lessons for South Africa, the rape centre of the world?

Indian authorities are now considering concrete proposals that are likely to lead to broader changes in rape laws. The government has set up a task force to monitor women's safety in Delhi. India's chief justice agreed to hear a petition to fast-track the thousands of rape cases lost in the country's congested and lethargic legal system.

All lawmakers from the national and state legislatures who are facing prosecution for crimes against women are likely to be suspended. Some lawmakers are even calling for rape to be declared a capital crime. Others have proposed administrative reforms that would require the police to register complaints by rape victims within a certain time frame. Reported rape cases in India have increased more than tenfold over the past 40 years - from 2487 in 1971 to 24206 in 2011. The capital New Delhi alone reported more than 600 rapes last year.

These numbers are still nowhere near the rape of women and children in South Africa. The United Nations and Interpol have previously ranked South Africa as the country with the highest number or rapes per capita. Years later the situation has only improved marginally.

In the festive season several rapes and murders of women and children took place. The Sowetan reports that in Limpopo police had their hands full with a spate of child rapes. Four teenagers, a seven-year-old and a toddler were raped during the last weekend of 2012. Some of these were gang rapes. This is in one area alone. I shudder to think how many rapes took place in the rest of the country.

The six men arrested for this brutal rape and murder in India were rounded up in the slums of Delhi. India is said to have a third of the world's poor. We are not the only country faced with crime, sexism, patriarchal attitudes and poverty. But we seem to be the only country that goes to sleep when a rape happens. Television channels flashed "RIP India's daughter" when the young woman died. The Sunday Times in India carried 13 pages of coverage on the aftermath of her death.

Where is our outrage as a society? When is it enough? When will we unite men and women and demand a safer world for women and children?

Although South African media report widely on rape, there is a general numbness in our society. We can protest against The Spear, e-tolls, for higher wages, but sexual violence is not high on the agenda. The efforts of a few activists and NGOs are not enough. Our response as a nation is still a disappointing and muted "oh no".