Understanding vicarious trauma online We spend so much of our time online. We scroll through posts, read news stories, watch videos and come across personal accounts of people sharing some of the most difficult experiences of their lives. When we repeatedly encounter stories and content about sexual violence, especially when we deeply empathise with the […]
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When people hear the term “revenge porn,” they often think of a former partner sharing intimate images after a relationship has ended. While this is one form of violence, the term does not capture the full reality of image-based sexual violence or the many ways people can experience sexual violence through digital spaces. Image-based sexual […]
Victim blaming happens when attention is shifted away from the person who caused violence and placed instead on the survivor of sexual violence. It is one of the most common and deeply embedded responses to sexual violence, often so normalised that it becomes almost invisible in everyday life. It rarely appears in obvious or direct […]
The impact of sexual violence often reaches far beyond the moment it occurred. Its impact can reach into many aspects of a survivor’s life, including how they sleep, how they remember events, and how they navigate everyday tasks such as work, studying, and relationships. One of the most common misconceptions about trauma is that people […]
Rape Crisis invites you to join us for our Mandela Day Justice Pack Drive taking place on Friday, 17 July 2026 from 10:00 to 14:00 at the 2U office (358 Victoria Road, Salt River), where we will be assembling Justice Packs for survivors and their supporters accessing our court support services. This marks the second […]
On 23 May 2026, Rape Crisis staff and volunteers gathered at our Athlone office for our General Meeting – a space dedicated not only to reflection and connection, but also to strengthening the values that continue to guide our work. This year, external facilitators joined us to lead a series of interactive activities and discussions […]
Understanding the Emotional Impact of Supporting Survivors Vicarious trauma is not always something people talk about openly, yet it is deeply present in spaces where care, support, and empathy are at the center of the work. It is the emotional and psychological impact that comes from hearing, witnessing, or holding the trauma of others. Unlike […]
As a counsellor, I sit with survivors every day. One of the first things I want you to know is that what happened to you was not your fault. There is no right or wrong way to feel after sexual violence. You might feel angry, confused, numb, overwhelmed, or unsure of what you’re feeling at […]
Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust is a non-profit organisation that promotes an end to violence against women specifically rape, and assists survivors in achieving their right to live free from violence by reducing the trauma experienced by rape survivors, encouraging reporting of rape incidents, facilitating the active engagement of communities in challenging high rape rates […]