A South African insurer on Tuesday launched a policy designed for the victims of rape, saying it was a regrettable necessity in a country with one of the highest crime rates in the world.
CGU Ltd said its 'Rape Survivor' policy had been launched because South Africa's thousands of rape victims were not getting enough care from the country's cash-strapped public services.
"We feel there is a need and a demand, but it is a sad indictment of our country," CGU Managing Director Roger Wanless told Reuters.
The policy will cost 25 rand ($4.12) a month and provide up to 5,000 rand worth of counselling for the victim and family, plus another 5,000 rand for medical treatment. It will also be available to children and men.
Twenty-five rand is equivalent to over half a day's wages for many rural women workers.
Over 50,000 women reported a rape in South Africa last year. But care workers reckon the real number is much higher and a spate of recent incidents has forced the issue to the centre of the country's debate around violent crime.
REVULSION OVER RAPE GATHERS PACE
Recently, a television advertisement starring South African-born actor Charlize Theron estimated a rape occurred every 26 seconds.
The ad was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority earlier this month after a group of men complained it was discriminatory because it cast half of all males as rapists and the other half as complacent on the issue.
Days later a judge was widely criticised for handing down a seven year sentence for a man found guilty of raping his daughter.
Rape of children can draw a life sentence in South Africa, but the judge said his decision was based on the fact that the 54-year-old father had kept the violence within the family.
Wanless said CGU was not sure of the depth of demand for its product and dismissed suggestions that the insurer was taking advantage of recent publicity to profit from people's misery.
"The situation is very bad and we are just meeting a need. That is what insurance is all about," he said.
To make a claim the victim will have to see a doctor, but will not have to report the incident to police. However, CGU, which is 51 percent owned by Britain's CGU Plc, said it would encourage the victim to involve the authorities.
One of the reasons that rape is such a grave issue in South Africa is the country's high incidence of HIV/AIDS. The insurance policy will pay for drugs to contain the HIV infection and prevent it blooming into full-blown AIDS.
Many South African clinics and police stations are unable to administer the costly drugs and some rape victims have been denied treatment because they have not been able to afford to pay for private care.
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