But he is my husband! How can that be rape?’

Exploring silences around date and marital rape in Lesotho

Bibliographic Data

ID12330607
AuthorsMathabo Khau (0000-0002-8933-0553, University of KwaZulu-Natal, corresponding author)
Year2007
Volume21
Issue74
Pages58-66
Publication date2007-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgenda (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1013-0950 • E-ISSN: 2158-978X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10130950.2007.9674876
OpenAlexW1480585247
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited22

In Lesotho, where there are very high HIV infection rates among teenagers and young adults, most of whom are girls and women, it is surprising to find that women teachers are unwilling to talk about rape within the context of sexual relationships and its links to HIV infections. This briefing seeks to explain the reluctance of Basotho women to talk about experiences of date and marital rape by examining the power dynamics within sexual relationships and the interplay between economic dependence and silence. In this briefing, I draw on data from an ongoing study which seeks to understand the phenomenon of female sexuality in Lesotho, through memory accounts of four female Basotho science teachers who experienced date and marital rape. The findings suggest that silence is a feature of gender relations that prevents the negotiation of safe sex, the exploration of the self and the expression of vulnerability. Interventions that consciously attempt to break the silence around date and marital rape can

Context (archaeology · Developmental psychology · Geography · Human sexuality · Negotiation · Phenomenon · Power (physics · Psychological intervention · Silence · Social science · Sociology · Vulnerability (computing · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · Gender Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Social Psychology