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The cost of providing HIV/AIDS treatment to survivors of rape in South Africa is being investigated, parliament's justice portfolio committee has heard.
A cabinet decision in July to remove a clause from the Sexual Offences Bill, which would have compelled the government to provide rape survivors with drugs to reduce the risk of HIV infection, drew a fierce response from the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).
They asked whether the life of a rape survivor was less important than that of an offender.
The DA's Sheila Camerer said in a statement: "It is ironic that victims cannot have their problems put into the bill but, in black and white, the perpetrators are provided for."
As it stands, the bill provides for drug and alcohol treatment of sexual offenders over a period of five years.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
