Zimbabwe's 2008 Elections Featured Systematic Rape

African Governments Should Hold Perpetrators Accountable

December 10, 2009 (Johannesburg)

"The evidence is incontrovertible: Mugabe believes he can sanction rape without fear of consequences. Zimbabwe is perhaps the greatest test for ending impunity,” said Stephen Lewis, co-director of AIDS-Free World. 

Press release   Global Media Coverage   Op-Ed for Times Live South Africa

From the press conference

More than 70 women told their stories for this report. Each account was gripping and horrifying, and we are grateful to the survivors for their courage.

Because of the continuing danger, the identities of the two women in these brief clips have been hidden. 

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Related article: No relief in South Africa

What if you had to choose between being violently persecuted in your home country, or being an ostracized refugee in a foreign country?  What if you had to make this choice after being brutally gang-raped?  It seems completely unimaginable, yet this is a reality for women in Zimbabwe. 

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