A mayor in South Africa has initiated a new programme to deter young women from having sex. He hopes that this move will reduce the number of teen pregnancies, HIV and AIDS.
There are 100 scholarships available and so far 16 girls have been accepted into the programme; however they have been warned that in order to keep the scholarship they also need to keep their virginity.
18 year old student Thubelige Dlodlo says that remaining a virgin is her only chance to get an education because her parents can’t afford to pay for her to go to school.
“Virginity testing is part of my culture, it is not an invasion of my privacy and I feel proud after I’m confirmed to be pure,” she told the BBC.
Virginity testing is part of the Zula culture and is usually carried out by elderely women. The test qualifies Zulu maidens to participate in the annual reed dance which takes place every September at Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini’s royal palace.
The practice isn’t illegal, but girls must consent to testing.
But human rights activists argue that the virginity tests are intrusive.
“What is really worrying is that they are only focusing on the girl child and this is discriminatory and will not address problems with teenage pregnancy and HIV infection rates,” says Palesa Mpapa from campaign group People Opposing Women Abuse.
“It’s not only the girl that is to blame,” she says
Mayor Dudu Mazibuko, who introduced this special category dedicated to virgin girls, disagrees.
“The scholarship is not a reward but a lifelong investment in the life of a girl, we are also not condemning those who’ve made different choices because we accommodate them in other scholarships,” she said.
