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"I can rape, I can do whatever I want to anybody... That is power."

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4687209.stm

Though on here we've got loads of threads about our own affairs, we don't have many on other countries - except perhaps Iraq and Israel. Prison rape in Kenya - a country many see as not being 'that bad' since it doesn't have rebels like Congo where there is genocide, (though the UN did flush out Rwandan rebels on wednesday, apparently). It's not as bad as Zimbabwe perhaps, where they are demolishing whole villages and towns and residential areas.

But anyway, because homosexuality is a bad thing in Kenya and Zanzibar (can't articulate it better I'm afraid) many victims never come forward.
Male rape happens in many prisons around the world. What makes it different in East Africa is that attitudes to homosexuality in society generally mean that this terrible problem is never acknowledged, never spoken about, even by the victims.

...

One man told me he was raped within hours of the gates closing behind him at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, where he was jailed for five years for robbery.

"They were fighting over me, they were fighting over who should get me first," he said.

...

The deputy officer in charge of Kamiti Prison, Pite Nguguna, told me there was no abuse at all there.

"We don't have rape in prisons," he said.

"We have never had a rape case reported while prisoners are serving their jail terms."

I know just thinking about this, which in relative terms isn't the worst thing going on in the world, it makes me feel slightly ashamed for being so obsessed with the London bombings. We are just one country in the world after all.

The problem with many issues in Africa is seeing a 'way out' is very difficult. With issues like this the first thing we need to be challenging is not the practical side of it, not decongesting prisons (though it would help) but changing people's attitudes and opinions.

On another note. The title of this thread - do you think that relates at all to the attitude of the bombers in London - or the bombers in Milan - or 'youths' terrorising the streets? I think they are all closely interlinked. Maybe the whole world needs a fresh attitude.

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    One of the worst things is that its almost accepted as normal for people to be raped in prison. we have countless `mind the soap` jokes. its actually seen as funny and not a serious issue. i dont know why theyve made the headline about a foreign prison, only a brief mention of the fact that it happens ALL over the world. britain is no exception.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    One of the worst things is that its almost accepted as normal for people to be raped in prison. we have countless `mind the soap` jokes. its actually seen as funny and not a serious issue. i dont know why theyve made the headline about a foreign prison, only a brief mention of the fact that it happens ALL over the world. britain is no exception.

    Well I was looking at the BBC News Africa site, and it was a casestudy there, which is probably why there is an emphasis on Kenya etc. Another thing I think is wrong is that in many African coutnries you can get locked up for next to nothing - one guy was put in prison for three years after stealing a bicycle. If someone stole my bike, I'd want him to say sorry, but I don't think they'd deserve to go down for three years and then be gang raped.

    Really makes you wonder sometimes. Why only human rights abuses get interest by national governments if they're coincidentally happening where there's a lot of oil.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you can get put in prison in this country for not paying your TV licence.
    I think making out its a problem with big bad africa is misguided at best, and racist at worst.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rape happens just as much in this country, and there is exactly the same stogma attached over here.

    Lets not pretend that africa is terrible and the UK is wonderful. The Howard League might open a few eyes.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    Rape happens just as much in this country, and there is exactly the same stogma attached over here.

    Lets not pretend that africa is terrible and the UK is wonderful. The Howard League might open a few eyes.
    Especially male rape... It's hard to imagine how many incidents go unreported.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What I meant, rather than trying to make out that there's a big bad Africa - is that atrocities are going on across the world yet we seem to be obsessed with the UK. Fair enough, it's where we live, but all the same. I'm sorry if I gave the impression Africa was a continent a lot worse off than us and generally a lot meaner/nastier than us - what I meant was that they suffer a lot and they get so little press coverage compared to what happens in the UK.

    I also (perhaps mistakenly) assumed male prison rape was a lot worse in countries with a more rudimentry prisons - here i may be completely wrong, so feel free to correct me.
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