In a remote part of rural South Africa six men alleged raped a nine-month-old baby girl. The attack has shocked the nation since the nation's child sexual abuse rose to 60 percent.
Pictures of the six accused appeared on front pages of newspapers across South Africa and radio phone-in shows were inundated with callers demanding to know what the police and Government were doing to stop child abuse.
Police say at least one of the men who attacked the nine-month-old girl is HIV-positive. The baby has also been tested for the virus and given anti-retroviral drugs as a precaution.
The girl - whose name has not been released - remains in intensive care at the Kimberley Hospital. While doctors said it was likely that her physical wounds would heal, experts remained concerned about psychological trauma.
"There is a belief across South Africa that a virgin will cure a man of HIV or Aids. We have no idea where this idea has come from, but it has been around for a few years and has certainly taken hold." said Cati Vawda, the director of the Children's Rights Centre in Durban.
Some of the victims were as young as six-months-old, a number of whom died from their injuries, while others contracted HIV. Its the increase in attacks has been against children under seven.
Violent crime, unemployment are said to have contributed to the escalation in child abuse beside poverty and the most worrying factor is the widespread myth sweeping the country that having sex with children provides a cure for Aids.
by Jane Flanagan in Johannesburg
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