Blog - Page 12 of 14 - Rape Crisis

Fifty Shades of Feminism: A Response

A response to the Fifty Shades of Feminism post.

To begin, the title of the blog post has my feminist blood boiling. Yes, the populist book had a catchy title, but inside the cover on the pages was the antithesis of strength or did it have very little to do with ‘the personal is political’ motto of the feminist movement. Read the Sexual Life of Catherine M, now that is an honest vulnerable sex empowered tale.

To the focus of the article, which in a simple reduced summery is about what feminists accept as what a feminist should look like, the waves of what appearances have meant and when and why. In my blatant gut reaction, the fact that it is even up for debate is against what I have been taught is a feminist. Feminists are a rainbow, women, lesbians, working moms, stay at home moms, stay at home moms who are lesbians, men who are supportive of women, anyone who has the appreciation and commitment to fight for any individual who does not feel part of the status quo. Feminism is the concept that humans have the right to have power and be empowered, regardless of their lifestyle choices. (Obviously without the intention to harm others.)

9th Sep 2016/by zeenat

Fifty Shades of Feminism

Making Change

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 it as yet another oppressive rule imposed on women by men. Yet even they are not certain that a ban is the answer since empowering women must involve respecting their religious and cultural traditions.

There is no question that what constitutes a feminist approach to issues is debated, and sometimes heatedly, within groups of people who all claim, and rightly so, to be feminist.

One such debate has arisen within Rape Crisis, after the organisation accepted money from a burlesque dance company called The Rouge Revue, which involves women dancing, wearing sexy clothes and almost but not quite going naked. The younger feminists in the organisation participate and feel it to be empowering and many of the dancers are rape survivors who use this dance form to explore their own sensuality and reclaim their pleasure in their own bodies and some of the dancers are gender non-conforming. Some older feminists think that this is completely mad because radical feminists do not dress up as male fantasy sex objects and perform titillating routines.

7th Sep 2016/by zeenat

Why we want better justice

Making Change

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 total population.

Day4no4

In 2014, the Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust went door-to-door to speak to people in the Athlone community. More than 50 percent of the people that we interviewed said that rape is a problem in their community.

The next year, in 2015, we did the same survey in Khayelitsha. Here 59 percent of the community members that we spoke to said that rape is a problem in their community. An average of 57 percent of people that we spoke to said that they feel absolutely unsafe in their community. We spoke to hundreds of people in our survey and hundreds of them said that it is a problem. It is real, it happens and it affects us. Our survey gave life to the statistics.

4th Aug 2016/by zeenat

Showing rape survivors how much we all care on Mandela Day

Making Change

“‘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. Few things show how kind we are and how much we care about one another as much as Mandela Day does.

Pic: Alexa Sedgwick

The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, a year after the Nelson Mandela Foundation invited the global community to join them in support of an official Mandela Day. Mandela Day is not meant as a public holiday but as a day to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela and his values through volunteering and community service. It is a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world and the ability to make an impact. The Mandela Day campaign message is: “Nelson Mandela has fought for social justice for 67 years. We’re asking you to start with 67 minutes.”

22nd Jul 2016/by zeenat

What is a TCC?

Making Change

Celebrating five years of Rape Crisis counsellors working at the Karl Bremer TCC. Rape Crisis counsellors are currently working at Heideveld and Karl Bremer Hospital, as well as the Forensic Unit at the Victoria Hospital in Wynberg.

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 a survivor experiences. If it weren’t for these centres, survivors would have to go to a hospital, police station, and counselling centre all on their own; repeating their story each time.

What can you expect when you walk into a TCC?

The TCC’s first priority is you. They want to make you as comfortable as possible. It should be noted that the process is flexible, and can be tailored to you. If you do not want to file a case, you are under no obligation to do so. The Centre will keep all evidence for three months. You can wait and decide later whether you want to file a case or not.

30th Jun 2016/by zeenat

Save The Date: Care Packs For Mandela Day!

Making Change

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 examination to collect critical evidence, the survivor is given the opportunity to have a shower, and will receive one of our Care Packs containing toiletries and appropriate personal items.

On Saturday 16 July we need your hands to help assemble these Care Packs. The bags and the contents are at the ready, just needing to be put together. How better to celebrate the spirit of Mandela Day, by giving your 67 minutes (or more) to support rape survivors?

22nd Jun 2016/by zeenat

Today we salute our youth

Advocacy

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.

16th Jun 2016/by zeenat

#EndRapeCulture

Advocacy

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 to the RC Cape Town Trust Facebook page. The post gathered attention because of its relevance to the Brock Turner sentencing controversy. However, I didn’t make this graphic specifically in response to the Stanford University rape case. To be honest, I had not even heard about the case when I made it.

10th Jun 2016/by zeenat

Join the Rape Crisis Team – Become a Volunteer Counsellor

Advocacy

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.

Counselling training in Observatory. Pic: Alexa Sedgwick.

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.

8th Jun 2016/by zeenat

Rape Trials: The Role of Court Supporters

Advocacy

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.

9th May 2016/by zeenat

What is a Thuthuzela Care Centre?

What can you expect when you walk into a TCC?

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