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 the spotlight on our Peer Educators fighting rape culture in their schools and larger communities.

Rape culture is rooted in myths and stereotypes that normalise and excuse rape. By challenging these myths, our Peer Educators grow into leaders and role models, while changing attitudes towards women.

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The Athlone Counselling Team will be training new volunteers for the counselling service.  Applications will be available as from the 8^th 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 options are as follows:

• in full before or on the date of registration – R4, 000.00
• registration fee and payment over the duration of the experiential training course – R1,500.00 on or before registration plus R833.33 per month for 3 months
• registration fee and payment over the duration of the experiential training course and probation – R1,500.00 on or before registration plus R277.78 over 9 months
• registration fee and outsourced sponsorship. Once your application for the training is approved, we can provide you with a letter supporting your appeal – R1,500.00 on or before registration and you seek sponsorship for the remainder of the fees.

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Rape Crisis, as part of its Making Change programme, intends to hold government accountable for the promise of specialised sexual offences courts. We believe these courts are key to increasing reporting rates and conviction rates for rape, while decreasing the secondary victimisation of rape survivors. We recently introduced some of our volunteers and community members from Athlone and Khayelitsha to our advocacy campaign and trained the participants on the need for specialised sexual offences courts. We had engaging discussions regarding the high prevalence of rape in these communities and how specialised sexual offences courts can address these.

Here community members from Athlone and Khayelitsha are hearing about the key ideas behind an advocacy strategy.

Here one of the groups is talking about how specialised sexual offences courts will better serve survivors.

Among the benefits are higher conviction rates, less secondary trauma for survivors, better resources, specialised services and ultimately – less rape.

Rape Crisis Advocacy Coordinator, Jeanne Bodenstein, outlining the requirements for specialised offences courts in terms of personnel and infrastructure.

Volunteers had the opportunity to role play telling someone else about why specialised sexual offences courts are so important.

The group meets again in June to further the discussions and plan the way forward with the campaign in collaboration with spokespersons from the communities.

 

This work is funded by Oxfam Germany and the BMZ. 

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• Follow: Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust
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• Become a writer for Rape Crisis

I live less than a five minute drive away from where Franziska Blöchliger was raped and murdered. I drove past Tokai forest on the day that it happened. I saw security personnel gathered around the entrance near to where her body was found. By the following day it was in the news. As I watched the media frenzy unfold and the reactions from the womxn in my family, I noticed in myself, an absence of anger or distress or even empathy.

In the weeks following, residents of the surrounding suburbs tied bouquets of flowers along the fence near to where it happened. I have driven past the site many times but only recently decided to visit. I wanted to try and understand my own reaction to the news and I thought that paying a visit might help to bring me clarity.

 

[Mourners left hundreds of flowers at Tokai forest. Image source: The Good Things Guy ]

As I walked along the fence looking at the drooping flowers, it occurred to me that the public reaction to Franziska’s case is quite unique. She has not once been blamed or implicated in what happened to her. With most rape cases that receive a lot of public attention there is often something about the victim or what the victim was doing that is offered as an explanation as to why it happened to them. The reaction to Anene Booysen’s 2013 rape case is an example of this.

Feminist author Pumla Gqola writes in her book, “Rape: A South African Nightmare”, of the public’s reaction,

“sometimes callers to radio stations expressed a combination of shock and attempts to explain how such a thing could happen by slut-shaming and victim-blaming her. Her judgement was questioned by some who then quickly and condescendingly decided that her class standing meant that she did not know better.”

It takes a lot to be the perfect victim, and one must be to ensure public outrage that is free of victim blaming. The perfect victim must be white, cisgender, heterosexual, sober, must not be out after dark, must not be at a club/bar/party, must not be in a “dodgy” area and must not know their assailant. In light of this, I was able to understand my response. I do not trust the public’s reaction and I do not want to be a part of it. I cannot trust that there is any sincerity behind those bunches of flowers. Would they have been there if Franziska had not met all of the requirements of the perfect victim?

As I drove away I noticed a poster-sized picture of Sinoxolo Mafevuka’s face stuck on a tree. But the poster was torn so that most of her face was missing. And I wondered if Sinoxolo’s case would have received any attention at all if Franziska’s had not happened for it to be compared to.

Danielle Alheit

• Follow: The Rape Survivors Justice Campaign
• Follow: Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust
• Speak To Us: 24-hour helpline: 021 447 9762
• Become a writer for Rape Crisis