This photograph from the Rio Olympics sparked debate quickly followed by a storm of outrage and an even hotter debate when France went on to ban the burqa. Feminists were at odds about what this means for women, for religion and for our freedoms. Not all Muslim women oppose wearing the burqa but feminists see […]
Rape statistics in South Africa are as high as ever. If we bear in mind that less than 1 in every 9 rapes is reported, we can see from official statistics that almost 500 000 people were raped in South Africa in 2015. That is half a million people, which amounts to one percent of our […]
“‘Palace politics’ would have us believing that we all hate one another but it isn’t true. South Africans are incredibly kind to one another. We actually care a lot about one another.” Marianne Thamm made this remark as encouragement to a writing group a few days ago and it struck such a chord with me. […]
What is a Thuthuzela Care Centre? Thuthuzela Care Centres, or TCCs, are one-stop facilities for rape survivors. They are unique in that they offer all services (counselling, physical exams, and law enforcement) under one roof. This makes it logistically easier for survivors to report a rape, and helps to lessen the amount of secondary trauma […]
Will you lend us your hands, and give your 67 minutes for Mandela Day? At all four of Cape Town’s forensic units which attend to anyone who has just been raped, Rape Crisis is there to support the survivor reporting the offence. After counselling, opening a criminal case docket, and undergoing a forensic full body […]
On this day, 40 years ago, students took a stand against a violent and unjust system. We salute the courageous youth who fought for change in the 1976 uprisings. Despite the rights we enjoy now, we still have a long way to go in changing attitudes around rape. This Youth Day, we’d like to shine […]
When I made this post, over two weeks ago, I never thought it would go viral. I didn’t even know that it would be used on the Rape Crisis social media pages. Now, the post has been shared over 270,000 times, reached over 27 MILLION people, and has resulted in over 8,000 new likes […]
The Athlone Counselling Team will be training new volunteers for the counselling service. Applications will be available as from the 8th June and completed applications need to be returned by the 1st of July 2016. Course fees: The cost of the course is R4, 000.00 with a non-refundable registration fee which is R1, 500.00. Payment […]
Reporting a rape can be a deeply traumatic process for a rape survivor. Many survivors fear being judged, as the result of the recurring rape myths in our criminal justice system. A lack of sensitivity from service providers, greatly increases the risk of survivors experiencing secondary trauma.
2016 celebrates 40 years of supporting rape survivors Because I’ve been here for 20 of those 40 years, I can’t let the occasion go by without offering thanks to those that helped us get here. Thanks to those who founded this organisation, and all our previous directors. Thanks to past and present members of staff, […]