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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Corroboration and Rape Trials in Zimbabwe |
Author: | Armstrong, Alice |
Year: | 1988 |
Periodical: | The Zimbabwe Law Review |
Volume: | 6 |
Pages: | 53-63 |
Language: | English |
Notes: | biblio. refs. |
Geographic terms: | Zimbabwe Southern Africa |
Subjects: | sexual offences law Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (Zimbabwe) violence Rape Law, Legal Issues, and Human Rights |
Abstract: | This article explores one way that the law of evidence in Zimbabwe can be used to minimize the rape victim's distress in the courtroom while still providing the accused with a fair trial. This is to reject the 'cautionary rule' of corroboration. The cautionary rule of corroboration is based on the principle that an allegation of rape is easy to make and difficult to refute. Even though a conviction on a rape case is technically possible without corroboration, judges ask for evidence which corroborates the complainant's story. The most usual corroboration is a medical report. The cases discussed in this article show how easy it is to refute rape. The cautionary rule in sexual cases is outmoded, based on erroneous assumptions and inconsistent with Zimbabwe's commitment to equal rights for men and women. Note, ref. |