"Within the school environment there is a clear need to place the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] issues within a human rights framework and to engage religious values."
OUT, a gay and lesbian rights NGO, was involved in training programmes and policy development to curb violence against homosexual pupils.
The organisation told the commission there were high drop-out rates among LGBT pupils and discrimination against them often led to suicide and substance abuse.
During public hearings the commission was informed that xenophobia also contributed toward violent incidents in South African schools.
"... [in] particularly those schools that attract non-national learners. In these schools, discrimination on the grounds of ethnic, racial or social origin may well be a contributing factor to the violence." - SapaSource Url: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=nw20080312130455823C298445
Posted By: Jan
AfricanCrisis Webmaster
Author of: Government by Deception
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
(George Orwell)
My all time favourite movie quote is from the Dwarf in Lord of the Rings: "Certainty of death, small chance of success... what are we waiting for?"
Readers' Comments
Date Posted: Tuesday 18-Mar-2008
"Kris" is clearly trying to 'prove' that African Crisis 'ignores' shootings when carried out by 'whites', when this website has actually published reams about the so-called "Skielik" shooting at this Swartruggens township. Just use the search engine to find 'Skielik" and "Swartruggens", at times it's misspelled as "Skierlik" -- and there they all are! Silly prat!
A Stuijt
Date Posted: Monday 17-Mar-2008
OKAY, Kris, I printed it, now what? MAKE YOUR POINT!
JoAn
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Print this you devil.
5.15pm GMT update
Youth held over South African settlement shooting
* Chris McGreal in Johannesburg
* guardian.co.uk,
* Tuesday January 15 2008
* Article history
About this article
Close
This article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Tuesday January 15 2008. It was last updated at 17:24 on January 15 2008.
Police hunting a white South African youth who opened fire into a black squatter camp, killing four people, arrested a 17-year-old today after a manhunt with dogs and helicopters.
Police said they believed the attack on Monday on the Skielik informal settlement near Swartruggens, in the north-west of the country, may have been race-related.
"I assume that given the background, people are concluding it may have been a racially motivated incident," said Superintendent Louis Jacobs.
"But I can't say he did it because it was black people or whatever the reason may be because we haven't arrested anyone yet."
The suspect was arrested on a nearby farm.
A three-month-old baby, a 13-year-old boy and a man were shot dead at the scene of the attack. A fourth person died later in hospital. Nine other people were wounded, including the dead baby's mother.
Skielik residents told reporters the shooting occurred after two white youths were spotted near the settlement trying to damage railway tracks in an attempt to derail a train and drive it into squatter shacks.
One of the youths opened fire with a rifle and the pair ran off, leaving their pick-up truck behind.
Earlier today, police detained the father of the arrested youth on suspicion that his gun was used in the attack.
Neither the father nor son were named but the youth had been reported to the police previously for racist attacks.
The mayor of the Kgetleng River municipality, Welheminah Moleko, said she had previously raised the issue of continuing racial tensions in the area with the provincial government.
Hundreds of people blocked the main road leading into Swartruggens today in protest at the shootings.
This article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Tuesday January 15 2008. It was last updated at 17:24 on January 15 2008.
kris
columbia
usa
Date Posted: Sunday 16-Mar-2008
You think will work on closet Republicans...the us full of them...seriously though, thats a tragic story, but hard to comment on things a world away with all the neo-cons running lose in this country. We got some house cleaning here, SA will drown in its own snot...Have a good day!
newscalculus
usa
Date Posted: Sunday 16-Mar-2008
THANK YOU JAMES, for seeing the value in making corrections, for getting it right. Making corrections add to our credibility and are simple ways to show we are doing our best to walk the talk, giving careful consideration to what we say and how we say it. Jan places importance on all the above. We are ruffling feathers here at African Crisis and disturbing the comfort zones of many. The truth is not always easy to accept. The more careful we are in paying attention to all detail, the more serious we will be taken. It is my firm belief that consideration should be given to all those who are writing in their SECOND or THIRD language. We don't expect absolute perfection here as none of us are perfect, but an awareness that all posts on African Crisis are archived and read by many thousands of people. I know my own mistakes are the MOST difficult for me to deal with. Thanks again for your input. We appreciate it. JoAn
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[corrected for typos]
By engaging in this kind of thing, South African blacks are playing right into the hands of racists who say that blacks can't govern themselves, are criminals and rascals, and have a barbaric attitude to women.
It's high time for the black people of Africa to rise up and refuse to be identified with wickedness such as this. Expose the guilty ones. Name them and shame them having taken appropriate steps to punish them, and let there be no mercy. Justice is greater than mercy or compassion. For compassion without justice is foolishness, whereas justice without compassion will put a stop to evil.
I am a black man myself, of African heritage, and I refuse to allow my African identity to be associated with acts as odious as these. Come on Africa! Rise up! Rise up out of this mess you are wallowing in! Didn't you hear Lucky Dube? LEAVE WOMEN ALONE!
God cares nothing about your customs and traditions, He looks at the hearts of men. He whose heart and character are pure and white is to be preferred in His sight.
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew [5:8]
James
London
UK
Date Posted: Sunday 16-Mar-2008
By turnin engaging in this kind of thing, South African blacks are playing right into the hands of racists who say that blacks can't government themselves, are criminals and rascals, and have a barbaric attitude to women. LEAVE WOMEN ALONE!
It's high time for the black people of Africa to rise up and refuse to be idebntified with wickedness such as this. Expose the guilty ones. Name them and shame them having taken approproate steps to punish them, and let there be no mercy. Justice is greater than mercy or compassion. For compassion without justice is fooloisheness, whereas justice without companssion will put a stop to evil.
I am a black man myself of African heritgage and I refuse to allow my name to be associated with acts as odious as these. Come on Africa! Rise up! Rise up out of this mess you are wallowing in! Didn't you hear Lucky Dube? God cares nothing about your customs and traditions, He looks at the hearts of men. He whose heart and charater are pure and white is to be preferred in His sight.
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8
James
London
UK
Date Posted: Friday 14-Mar-2008
to: Bill Render, You are an idiot! And you have never been online looking at girl-on-girl action.
There are cases here of lesbians being raped to "teach them a lesson" but it involves adults. I never heard of cases involving minors.
Lars Pluss
San Francisco CA
USA
Date Posted: Friday 14-Mar-2008
It's sad that redneck idiots like Bill Render just can't understand that other people have rights. Who are you people to tell others how to live thier lives?
So what if someone is a homosexual? In most cases, if a person speaks out against homosexuality then they themselves are homosexuals who repress that fact. Priests and Republicans often fall in to this category. Only education can eliminate the stigma of homosexuality.
Collins
Cedar Rapids, IA
United States
Date Posted: Friday 14-Mar-2008
When you consider that the psyche, (spirit, biopysical field, soul) of a lesbian is male, you realise the futility of rape-conversion. It is much the same as a man raping another man, and saying, tomorrow you`ll be a woman. The partner of a lesbian is simply a weak willed girl/lady, or one that has had unpleasant experiences with men. They start off and keep a female pshyche, and can easily go back to a hetero position, (excuse the pun). Guess as the rapists dont understand the reaalities of life, they`ll keep on with their idiotic behaviour.
Thomas
Vienna
Date Posted: Friday 14-Mar-2008
I think that Pres. Mugabe is right here:
"He told the audience that homosexuality degrades human dignity. It's unnatural and there is no question ever of allowing these people to behave worse than dogs and pigs. If dogs and pigs do not do it, why must human beings? We have our own culture, and we must re-dedicate ourselves to our traditional values that make us human beings... What we are being persuaded to accept is sub-animal behaviour and we will never allow it here. If you see people parading themselves as lesbians and gays, arrest them and hand them over to the police!"
Sodoma and Gomorrah is right here in US and run by homos and lesbians and is disgusting is a disease
I agree with Bill Render
Sgt Rompecoglioni
Date Posted: Friday 14-Mar-2008
The same needs to be done in the U.S. to these dykes,they and the so called Womans movement has destroyed this country (U.S.A). The correction is needed more in the U.S., where in SA they are trying to keep their country from becoming like the U.S. Good move guys keep up the good work!
Bill Render
Date Posted: Friday 14-Mar-2008
The US Constitution states : All men are created equal.[ first off I think that was just a "political "ploy to draw in all of the don't cares'] they may have been created equal...but they don't stay that way or even die that way and on that note I fully beleive in "Cruel & unusal punishment so stated I feel anyone who violates the santity of others shall have no privalage treatment for crimes commited in the case of a "Rapist ...Put his Genitals on an Anvial then smack hard with a 20# sledge hammer.end of treatment
Larry
Seattle
USA