Is rape worse than other violent crime? (Radio 4)

Yesterday morning I caught part of this debate from the Jaipur Literary Festival, while in the car. There were some very interesting comments made and the debate was carried out in such a way that everyone had their say with no one shouting, interrupting or insulting anyone.
Michael Sandell - BBC Radio 4's public philosopher chaired the debate/ asked questions etc.

The Public Philosopher: Is rape worse than other violent crime? and other questions.
Of course this is in the context of some of the violent sexual assaults that have recently happened in India, but applies anywhere, I think.

Among the points of view I heard, were the following - I emphasise that I have summarised these and have not yet listened to the whole programme:

Rape should not be considered as more debilitating than having your hand cut off. I am more than my vagina. I need my hands to do many more things in life.

Unfortunately at present in India rape involves shame for the entire family - this attitude needs changing.

From a man - rape of a woman or a man is degrading because it involves physical penetration of the body.

Suffering of women in Haiti

From the Amnesty International blog today:

In 2008 Amnesty produced a report highlighting that sexual violence against women and girls in Haiti is particularly rife and that the government should pay greater attention to stopping these abuses. With the quake shattering Haiti’s already fragile infrastructure, the risk of sexual violence being carried out with impunity may well increase.

The post ends:

The situation for women and girls is often forgotten about in times of disasters and crises and yet it's these people who are often the hardest hit. The international community cannot simply keep tacitly accepting this. Let's hope that for this crisis, the rights of women and girls are central to Haiti’s reconstruction and development efforts.

Many links in the original post worth following for background and opinion. We should not be picking on Haiti at the country's lowest point, of course, but this is an issue that is bigger than any one country. When a people suffer, their women suffer most.

Lesbians "corrective rape" in South Africa

Lesbians living in South Africa are being subjected to "corrective rape" and severe violence by men trying to "cure" them of their sexual orientation, human rights groups have said.

Reported in Guardian, Telegraph and others