South Africa

South Africa is on the eve of a major broadband infrastructure roll-out. Affordable broadband can have a significant impact on the country's socio-economic, political, cultural and educational development; but broadband penetration in South Africa lags behind countries with a similar level of development such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Turkey.

This fact sheet presents statistics of gender based violence in South Africa since 1999. It takes a look at patterns of reporting rape in South Africa, based on SAPS reports.

Senior editorial managers in the SABC finalised the news division's coverage plans for the 2009 national and provincial elections at a workshop in Johannesburg over the weekend, the SABC announced yesterday evening, Sunday, 25 January 2009.

SWEAT interviewed 17 sex workers, eight of whom worked indoors in an agency and nine who worked outdoors soliciting clients on the street, through newspaper adverts and cellular phones. In some cases those working outdoors spoke of previous experiences when working in the indoor industry. Three themes emerged out of our discussions with participants relating to their experiences of stigma and isolation, discrimination, and violence. The study highlights these women's experiences and makes recommendations to address the stigma and discrimination.

Criminalising the sex work industry does not eradicate it, but simply makes it impossible to control or regulate. This in turn means that sex workers are vulnerable to violence and exploitation and cannot rely on the law or the police to protect them. Constant harassment and arrests cause much harm to sex workers, the majority being women who are economically dependent on this work.

For more than a decade, South Africans have been advocating a reform of the country's laws on sexual offences. South Africa has one of the highest levels of reported rape in the world, and legislative reform was seen as an essential step towards shifting the understanding of rape and its treatment within the criminal justice system. Since 1996 the activism has focused on the South African Law Reform Commission's investigation into sexual offences, and the parliamentary process, which culminated at the end of 2007 in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act.

The Minister of Education Naledi Pandor and 23 public higher education institutions have adopted a policy which will guide schools and tertiary institutions to improve their current HIV and AIDS prevention programmes.

Young people in South Africa face the highest rate of HIV infection.

The Policy Framework on HIV and AIDS for Higher Education Institution in South Africa, adopted at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday, recognises that institutions must act to prevent new HIV infections and provide access to treatment, care and support for staff and students infected or affected by the pandemic.

Adopting the policy, Minister Pandor said South Africa was a country with one of the highest HIV and AIDS rates, and therefore there was a need to support those infected and affected by the disease.

Young people in higher education institutions are facing peer pressure, alcohol and drug abuse, said the minister, adding that she was hoping to see chancellors taking a leading role in the implementation of the framework.

"We can do no less if we were to save young people to this serious threat, I'm looking forward to the concrete plans to the framework which will see the reduction of the epidemic," she said.

In September 2006 a new clause was inserted into the Sexual Offences Act making it an offence to "unlawfully and intentionally engage the sexual services of a person 18 years or older for financial or other reward, favour or compensation." According to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development the intended aim of this clause is to protect sex workers from exploitation and abuse and to prevent trafficking in persons by eradicating sex work.

The move by the SABC to go to digital signals by 2011 has caused some confusion in the marketplace, with many consumers who believe it will be HD broadcasting and they will need to buy HD-capable televisions in future.

"The SABC's digital move makes no difference to the picture quality," said Brad Buchanan, group buyer at Game. "Broadcasters benefit because digital signals make better use of their bandwidth, enabling more channels to be viewed."

Certain sections of the long-awaited Sexual Offences Act finally came into operation on Sunday.

According to a statement released by Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Clause 72 of the Act provides for the implementation of Chapters 1 to 4 and 7 came into operation on Sunday.

These relate mainly to the creation of statutory sexual offences and certain transitional arrangements and evidentiary matters.