Angry South African Female Students Stage Topless Anti-Rape Protest

Angry South African Female Students Stage Topless Anti-Rape Protest 

 Students at Rhodes University in South Africa have staged a topless protest to express their grief over the seemingly incessant rapes on their campuses.

 

Topless female students with 'this is mine scrawled on their breasts' are amongst protesters demonstrating at the rape culture on the university campus.

Since the protest began on Monday at Rhodes University in Grahamstown in South Africa, police have tried to disperse students using pepper spray and stun guns.

The students started demonstrating after a list of suspected rapists on campus was leaked on social media on Sunday.

Many students, who are obliged to report rapes to the university as well as police, have said their complaints have been ignored by campus authorities, the BBC has reported.

Angry at what they perceived to be the university's inadequate response, the students are demanding it take action to end rape culture on campus.

Students are demanding the university suspend 11 alleged rapists on campus and change its policies on how rape victims are treated.

On Tuesday afternoon female students danced topless with some writing 'this is mine' on their breasts to show only they can decide to do with their bodies.

According to Naledi Mashishi of the Students Representative Council, five students have been arrested and one hospitalised after police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at them.

Naledi Mashishi of the Students Representative Council told Times Live they will only stop if they are assured "no protester will face disciplinary action or be otherwise penalised for participating in the protests”.

South Africa has the highest number of rapes in the world - last year 43,195 cases were reported.

Officials claim the figures are on the decline, but activists say many more rapes go unreported.