Feminism Archives - Rape Crisis

Grounding Ourselves in Unity, Growth, Healing and Purpose

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 designed to help staff and volunteers engage more deeply with one another, reflect on the work we do and reconnect with the purpose that brings us together as an organisation.

Throughout the day, the activities centered around our core values of Unity, Growth, Healing and Purpose. These values shape how we work with survivors, how we support one another as colleagues and how we continue responding to sexual violence in our communities with care and commitment.

The day created space for reflection and team connection. It was an opportunity to pause and recognise the importance of building supportive relationships within the organisation itself.

We also took time to acknowledge and celebrate the dedication of our staff and volunteers through long service awards. These certificates recognised the years of commitment, care and labour that so many continue to invest into supporting survivors and strengthening communities.

Moments like these remind us that the work of Rape Crisis is carried collectively. Behind every programme, workshop, counselling session, court support process and advocacy effort are people who continue showing up with compassion, resilience and a shared commitment to supporting survivors.

As we continue our work, we remain grounded in the values that shape who we are and guide how we move forward together.

Written by

Jameelah Ebrahim

9th June 2026/by Sino

Spotlight on Barbara Fortuin

Counselling, Feminism, GBV / Gender based violence, Speak Out

More than 19 Years of Leadership, Care and Commitment Behind the Work

At Rape Crisis, supporting survivors happens across many spaces from counselling rooms and court support, to advocacy and community work. It also happens behind the scenes, in the steady coordination, decision making, and care that ensure these services are able to function every day. Barbara Fortuin, our Programmes Manager, plays a central role in holding this work together.

Her role focuses on the smooth running and implementation of all our programmes. No two days look the same. While some aspects are planned, much of her day is spent responding to what arises, managing competing priorities, and ensuring that both staff and survivors are supported in real time.

Barbara’s journey at Rape Crisis began in 2006 when she graduated as a volunteer counsellor. She spent the early years of her work providing direct support to survivors before stepping into the role of Counselling Coordinator in 2009, a position she held for more than eleven years.

“That was probably the most amazing part of my journey,” she reflects. “I was completely invested in the growth of both clients and the team of women providing the counselling.”

In 2021, she stepped into the role of Operations Manager, now known as Programmes Manager, where she continues to shape the organisation at a management level. This year marks more than 19 years of her being part of Rape Crisis.

What has kept her here is a deep connection to the organisation’s values of growth, purpose, healing, and unity. These values continue to guide how she approaches her work and how she shows up for both survivors and her team.

For Barbara, survivor centered care is about recognising that the focus is always on the survivor’s journey. “It is about the journey of the survivor, not what I am doing or my role in it, but how I am able to show up in the way that the survivor needs,” she explains. “Everything we do should contribute to their safety, support, and dignity.”

Over the years, many moments have affirmed why this work matters. She speaks about the realities survivors face when they are not treated fairly, when young people struggle to break the silence, and when families and communities feel unsure how to respond. She also reflects on the dedication of those doing the work.

“When staff and volunteers put their own needs aside in the interest of survivors, that is when I know this work matters,” she says.

Working in a space that is constantly changing means learning how to navigate the unexpected. For Barbara, this comes down to self-containment and perspective. “Being able to contain things without letting them spill over helps a lot,” she shares. “I have also learned that it is okay to deal with one thing at a time.”

Teamwork and collaboration are central to how she leads. Grounded in the value of unity, she takes a strength based approach, recognising what each person brings and allowing those strengths to support the team as a whole.

“A supportive team is one where people feel safe enough to support and coach each other, where support is available and accessible, and where it meets the needs of the person asking for it,” she explains.

What she wishes people understood is that the impact of sexual violence does not end when the act itself ends. The effects can last for many years, which means the need for support continues long after.

“There will never be a more important time to support a survivor or the organisations working with survivors than right now,” she says.

She also reminds us that meaningful change often begins with small actions. Believing someone who discloses, offering support, or using your voice to raise awareness in your community can all make a difference.

After more than 19 years, Barbara’s journey reflects what it means to stay committed to the work, to grow within it, and to continue showing up with care and intention. While much of what she does happens behind the scenes, its impact is felt across every part of the organisation and in the lives of the survivors we support.

Thank you, Barbara, for your leadership, your steadiness, and your continued commitment to ensuring that survivors are supported with care, dignity, and respect every step of the way.

Written by

Jameelah Ebrahim

21st April 2026/by Sino

The Rape Culture Pyramid

Feminism, GBV / Gender based violence, Making Change, Speak Out

The Rape Culture Pyramid is a tool used to understand how sexual violence is sustained within society. It shows that violence does not exist in isolation. It is connected to everyday attitudes, behaviours, and systems that shape how we understand gender, power, and consent.

At the base of the pyramid is normalisation. This includes sexist attitudes, rape jokes, locker room banter, and language that minimises consent or questions survivors’ credibility. These messages are often dismissed as harmless, but they create an environment where entitlement to another person’s body can take root.

When harmful beliefs are normalised, they shape how communities respond when someone discloses violence.

In the middle of the pyramid are degrading and violating behaviours. Stealthing, contraceptive sabotage, unsolicited sexual images, stalking, groping, and the non consensual sharing of intimate images are not minor incidents.

They are serious violations of autonomy and dignity. Yet many survivors describe how these experiences were minimised, excused, or reframed as misunderstandings rather than recognised as abuse.

At the top of the pyramid are acts of sexual violence such as rape, drugging, and molestation. These acts do not emerge from nowhere. They exist within a broader culture that too often excuses coercion, manipulation, threats, and boundary violations.

For survivors, this is not an abstract framework. It reflects lived realities. Many speak about how warning signs were ignored, how degrading behaviour was normalised, or how their experiences were questioned.

The pyramid reminds us that prevention does not begin only after a crime has been committed. It begins with challenging harmful attitudes, confronting degrading behaviour, and refusing to tolerate violations at any level.

Combating sexual violence requires more than individual accountability. It requires cultural change. It requires shifting how we talk about consent, how we respond to disclosures, and how seriously we treat so called everyday behaviours that undermine dignity.

Survivors deserve more than reaction. They deserve a society committed to prevention, accountability, and respect at every level of the pyramid.

If you can’t speak to anyone, speak to us:

English (021 447-9762)

isiXhosa (021 361-9085)

Afrikaans (021 633-9229)

WhatsApp line (083 222-5164, weekdays)

Written by

Jameelah Ebrahim

16th March 2026/by Sino

Spotlight on Nazma Hendricks

Feminism, GBV / Gender based violence, Making Change, Road To Justice, Road To Recovery

21 Years of Dedication at Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust

When Nazma Hendricks walked into Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust in 2004 as a newly appointed Counselling Coordinator, she had just completed her internship at the Student Counselling Centre at the University of the Western Cape. She didn’t yet know the full reach or structure of the organisation, but she immediately recognised the urgency of the work, and the heart behind it.

“From the very beginning, I was struck by the passion of the volunteers. Watching them grow and dedicate themselves to survivors showed me the true spirit of this organisation,” Nazma reflects.

Managing volunteers and supporting survivors, Nazma quickly discovered what makes Rape Crisis unique: its people. What inspired her then still drives her today — the opportunity to witness individuals find their voice, step into leadership, and create meaningful change. “Seeing both staff and survivors discover their strength and step into their own power has been the most meaningful part of my journey,” she says.

By 2009, Nazma had taken on the role of Operations Manager. For over a decade, she worked to strengthen and restructure Rape Crisis, building systems that allowed the organisation to better respond to survivors’ needs. “That period taught me so much about leadership. I had been on the ground as a Counselling Coordinator, so I understood how every part of the organisation fit together. My focus was always on building structures that would allow us to serve survivors better,” she explains.

In 2021, she stepped into the role of Director — a milestone that came with immense responsibility, but also with the encouragement of her family. “Becoming Director was a proud and humbling moment. I knew the responsibility was enormous, but I also knew this was where I was meant to be — continuing the fight for survivors at the highest level.”

Over her 21 years, Nazma has witnessed profound shifts in the fight against sexual violence in South Africa. She remembers a time when many survivors harmed by people they knew rarely reported their cases. Today, more survivors are speaking out, demanding justice, and breaking the silence. She has also seen Rape Crisis expand its reach through our work at the Thuthuzela Care Centres we support, court support services, and advocacy that helped shape national legislation such as the Sexual Offences Act. “One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is survivors using their voices more boldly — refusing to be silent. That shift gives me hope for a future where justice is no longer out of reach,” she shares.

At the center of her leadership is a survivor-centered approach — listening first, respecting choices, and ensuring that dignity and agency are never compromised. These values, Nazma notes, are woven into every aspect of Rape Crisis’s work, from counselling and advocacy to community education and systemic reform.

Carrying the emotional weight of this work has required intention and resilience. “This work is heavy, but I’ve learned that looking after myself is not selfish — it’s necessary if I want to continue showing up for survivors,” she says. Her balance comes from family support, clear boundaries, and a deep commitment to self-care.

For younger women and activists entering the field, her message is one of courage and collective action: “Use your voice and create space for others to do the same. Change begins when voices are heard and communities act with compassion and bravery.”

After more than two decades, what continues to inspire Nazma are the people — survivors who show courage every day, volunteers who give their time and energy, and staff who dedicate themselves to building a safer, more just future. “It’s the people who keep me going. Their courage, their resilience, their passion — that’s what reminds me every day why this work matters,” she says.

Nazma’s story is a reminder that lasting change doesn’t happen overnight. It is built steadily — through commitment, compassion, and the collective power of many voices. For 21 years, she has been part of that journey, shaping Rape Crisis into the organisation it is today. Thank you, Nazma, for your unwavering dedication and leadership — and for showing us that a safer, more just future is possible when we refuse to give up.

18th September 2025/by Sino

‘At the beginning, it wasn’t called feminism. It was called an attitude problem.’

Feminism

—–Read Neliswa Tshazi’s essay from the book Living While Feminist

Becoming

At the beginning, it wasn’t called feminism. It was called an attitude problem. I informed my mother that I disliked cooking and had no interest in learning. My precious mother tolerated this, in spite of disapproval by the rest of the family and neighbours. She did not force me as any mother would have. Instead she allowed me to be the bookworm I am and gave me space as well as support to pursue my studies.