Sexual Abuse of Children in South Africa

Per Anders Pettersson

Getty Images / Stern Magazine

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA- FEBRUARY 5, An unidentified man suspected of raping his 4-year old daughter standing in a police holding cell on February 5, 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Child Protection Unit, a special police unit that handles abuse against children came to the police station to interview him on February 5, 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa. The country is struggling with increasing number of rapes and sexual abuse of young children, and the country has the highest number of rapes in the world.

Per Anders Pettersson, "Sexual Abuse of Children in South Africa," in POYi Archive, Item #33503, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/33503 (accessed May 12, 2025).