Child rape is particularly common in several African countries, exacerbated by the myths sustained by witch doctors and indigenous medicine men and women that sexual intercourse with a child is a cure for ills ranging from poverty to Aids. It was reported in 1998 that one in three girls and one in five boys in South Africa will be raped or sexually abused before the age of 18. Even children who have not been raped are often victims, because they are aware early in their lives that their gender ties them to certain expected patterns of behaviour and levels of achievement.