Virgin cleansing myth
Belief that sex with a virgin cures HIV/AIDS or other STDs.
The belief that having sex with a virgin can cure a man of HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases is known as the virgin cleansing myth, also called the virgin cure myth, virgin rape myth, or simply virgin myth. Anthropologist Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala has noted that this myth may contribute to infant rape by HIV-positive men in South Africa. Beyond young girls—who are assumed to be virgins due to their age—people who are blind, deaf, physically impaired, intellectually disabled, or have mental-health disabilities are also sometimes raped under the false assumption that they are sexually inactive and therefore virgins.
This myth has been reported worldwide, including in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. A survey by the University of South Africa found that 18 percent of laborers believed sex with a virgin cures HIV/AIDS. An earlier 1999 study by sexual health educators in Gauteng reported that 32 percent of participants held this belief. According to Betty Makoni of the Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe, traditional healers sometimes advise HIV-positive men to have sex with virgin girls as a cure. In Zimbabwe, some also believe that blood from raping a virgin will cleanse the infected person's blood. In 2002, psychologist Mike Earl-Taylor suggested the myth might explain a rise in child and infant rapes in South Africa during its HIV/AIDS epidemic. UNICEF has attributed hundreds of girls' rapes to this myth. In South Africa, men also target women with disabilities, believing them to be virgins. However, the myth's exact prevalence and its role in driving rapes remain unclear. Researchers Rachel Jewkes and Helen Epstein, along with a study of convicted sex offenders in Malawi, dispute the claim that the myth significantly drives HIV infection or child sexual abuse in Africa.
Ignorance about HIV and AIDS infection hinders prevention in many African nations. Education has empowered women like Betty Makoni to speak out against the myth and discourage belief in it. UNICEF notes that culture-based gender roles—which prize innocence and ignorance in girls while accepting sexual licentiousness in men—promote the myth. Girls may be forced into marriage with older men, raising the risk of HIV transmission. The stigma surrounding AIDS also prevents many from seeking information or health services to conceal their status, further spreading the di
- known_for
- Belief that sex with a virgin cures HIV/AIDS or other STDs
- prevalence_regions
- Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas
- survey_finding
- 18% of laborers in a UNISA survey believed the myth
- earlier_study
- 32% of participants in a 1999 Gauteng study believed the myth
- disputed_by
- Researchers Rachel Jewkes and Helen Epstein, and research on convicted sex offenders in Malawi
Lore & Background
The virgin cleansing myth has been documented across the world, including in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In South Africa, a survey by the University of South Africa found that 18 percent of laborers thought that having sex with a virgin cures HIV/AIDS, while an earlier 1999 study in Gauteng reported that 32 percent of participants believed the myth. According to Betty Makoni of the Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe, the myth is perpetuated by traditional healers advising HIV-positive men to cure their disease by having sex with virgin girls; some also believe that the blood produced by raping a virgin will cleanse the infected person's blood.
Reader's Guide
The virgin cleansing myth has been cited as a potential factor in child and infant rapes in South Africa, particularly amid the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Psychologist Mike Earl-Taylor wrote in 2002 that the myth may explain the staggering rise in such rapes, and UNICEF has attributed the rape of hundreds of girls to the myth. However, the exact prevalence of the myth and its role in driving rapes is disputed: researchers Rachel Jewkes and Helen Epstein, as well as research on convicted sex offenders in Malawi, found no evidence supporting the idea that the myth prompted any rapes. Education has been highlighted as important in countering the myth, with figures like Betty Makoni speaking out against it. UNICEF notes that culture-based gender roles that prize innocence in girls and accept sexual licentiousness in men promote the myth, and stigma around AIDS prevents many from seeking information or health services.
Did You Know?
- Anthropologist Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala says the myth is a potential factor in infant rape by HIV-positive men in South Africa.
- People with disabilities are sometimes raped under the presumption they are virgins.
- A survey by the University of South Africa found 18% of laborers believed the myth.
- The myth is referenced in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon.
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