GBV / Gender based violence Archives

Your 16 Days

GBV / Gender based violence, Get Involved, Making Change

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an admirable campaign. Carving real time out of the year to highlight, examine and interrogate the senseless violence suffered by survivors of gender-based violence can only be lauded. While we acknowledge both the intent and far-reaching awareness raising that comes from the campaign, there is also room to acknowledge the void – which is a lack of action beyond the 16 days. What comes of the 16 Days of Activism every year? Well, let’s interrogate that too.

To be clear, observing 16 Days of Activism is not the problem, it is the abandoning of what the campaign intends to spur that should be criticised. Organisations working in SGBV (Sexual and Gender-Based Violence) go to great pains to create campaigns of their own during this time, because this is the only time that the world pays any attention. This is the only time in the year that we hear from government decision makers, that the press dedicates time to this issue and that the average citizen may turn on the TV and receive the very necessary information that they should be receiving any other day of the year. From the sounds of it, 16 Days does precisely what it was founded to – so you may be wondering, then what is the problem? Well, let’s keep interrogating.

For 16 Days government decision makers who pay no mind to SGBV suddenly have statements to make. The press, who cover instances of sexual and gender-based violence in problematic ways or not at all, suddenly want to know what organisations already working in the sector are doing to observe the campaign. Frankly, these organisations – organisations like Rape Crisis – are the ones providing survivors of SGBV with the support services that they need every day of the year. What is 16 Days to civil society organisations? To organisations that work without praise to make sure that no survivor is left without medical, legal, counselling, shelter or financial support at what is often the most harrowing moment of their lives? Business as usual. We do the work 365 days a year, so it is our daily reality – these are YOUR 16 Days of Activism.

How is Rape Crisis honouring 16 Days?

In three ways: awareness, our services and supporting our sister SGBV organisations.

We will utilise the digital space to raise awareness and change mindsets; we will highlight the free support services that we provide survivors of SGBV 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; and, we will spotlight our powerful sister organisations working in this sector fighting this fight with us.

The Rape Survivors’ Justice Campaign (RSJC) will engage decision makers on key pieces of legislation that affect survivors. There will be a Victim Support Services Bill briefing with members of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development on 30 November, to address concerns about the Bill and to present suggestions on how it could be improved. On the 10th of December at 11am, the RSJC will mobilise outside the Khayelitsha court to protest delays in the establishment of a sexual offences court. Keep an eye on our socials if you would like to join the protest.

You may also see our Making Change team paying socially distanced visits to organisations that we work with as a show of support and delivery of educational materials for the survivors that they provide support services to.

For more on the organisations doing the work (365 days a year), and how you can support them, read Activism and Donations.

How can YOU honour organisations like ours during 16 Days?

Share content that provides helplines and helpful resources
Advocate for a legal system that protects and supports survivors instead of shielding perpetrators, by supporting organisations doing the critical legislative campaigning
Volunteer your time and skill-set to an SGBV organisation
Donate to ensure that these organisations can help even more survivors

By sharing, advocating, volunteering or donating you take real action that can directly impact the lives of SGBV survivors in South Africa. There are already socio-economic barriers that hinder the path to recovery and justice for each survivor. As a nation we need to band together to ensure that survivors can access the free direct services that organisations like Rape Crisis provide.

If Rape Crisis is the organistion that you want to support with your donation, you can do so here: https://rapecrisis.org.za/donate/

27th Nov 2020/by Sino Mdunjeni

Activism and Donations

Advocacy, Donate, GBV / Gender based violence, Get Involved, Making Change

Image by Liam Edwards

Merriam Webster defines activism as, “A doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” As we begin the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, you may be asking yourself how best to make your voice heard.

A lot has been said about online activism. Terms like “keyboard activism” and “slacktivism” feel like calling cards of yesteryear, specifically the year that shall not be named (2016, I am talking about 2016). Nothing good happened in 2016, a lot of our therapists are still helping us move beyond it, but it was also the year that people manufactured reasons to criticise how people were beginning to advocate for the issues that they cared about. Look, read your thinkpieces of choice and come to your own conclusions, but people of a certain age were throwing their toys that a new way of fighting for social change was becoming widespread.

Cut to 2020, and any well-adjusted person knows better. We understand the power of the internet and social media as verified tools of social change. For the first time in history, people have the power to decide HOW they advocate for the issues that are important to them. So, how are you advocating this 16 Days of Activism?

We have a number of choices at our fingertips. We can use social media to meaningfully get behind causes that are close to our hearts. What are the internets good for?

Creating social awareness
Amplifying a message
Signing petitions
Mobilising for actions
Remote presence
Donating

Why is donating important?

This is not to be misconstrued, but, we are not all doing the work – that is a fact. Speaking specifically about GBV, we do not all do the work in this space. This means that as much as we may want to feel like we are making tangible change, that may be a bit tricky. There is nothing stopping us from contributing to tangible change, and that is the value (and power) in donating. Donating to women-run organisations that provide direct services to and actively advocate for survivors of gender-based violence can go a long way.

(We do also need to read the room. In a country with vast socio-economic disparities, putting money at the center of personal activism would be ill-advised. That said, it also cannot be ignored as effective political action.)

Where your donations go

If you did not know, our work consists of a range of projects that include direct services to survivors of rape and sexual violence, popular education, and advocacy as essential components of our theory of change. There are three (3) ways to get involved and lend a hand to the survivors Rape Crisis supports:

Volunteer
Intern
DONATE

If we focus on our core service – which is free counselling for rape survivors – we can quantify very clearly what the need is. Our counselling service is FREE. One (1) session is valued at R300, and a survivor typically experiences a 12-session cycle. For 12 sessions, that means that each survivor that comes through our doors or receives remote 24-hour counselling receives R3,600 “worth” of free counselling sessions.

Why you should put your money where your activism

This is not a message crafted solely for the benefit of Rape Crisis. This 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, if you are looking for meaningful ways to make a marked difference to GBV in South Africa, consider making a donation within your means to an organisation that does work in the sector. There are experienced, powerful, women-led organisations that have been making strides in abuse victim and survivor support services.

More specifically, put your money where your activism is for organisations that provide DIRECT services to survivors. That is how you can ensure that your hard-earned rands end up positively impacting the lives of people directly affected by the issues plaguing our country. These organisations work 365 days, not just 16 days a year. Show their incredible work your support with a donation today. If you’re wondering which organisations could use your support? Look no further.

Organisations doing the work that could use your support:

24th Nov 2020/by Sino Mdunjeni

The 72-hour Window

Counselling, GBV / Gender based violence, Road To Justice, Road To Recovery

The 72 hours following a rape are pivotal for a survivor. Regardless of whether a survivor intends to report the rape or not, doctor’s advice is that they need to get medical attention within three (3) days. A medical exam is vital to ensure that sexually-transmitted illnesses, pregnancy and physical (DNA) evidence can be attended to. What then can we advise as a plan of action for any survivor out there? Going directly to a medical facility like a Thuthuzela Care Centre.

Why is the advice not to just go to the police and open a case? There are a few reasons. First and foremost, rape survivors have the right to free medical attention without having to report the case. Secondly, following a medical exam at a hospital or medical facility the physical evidence from the rape can be preserved and a case can be opened that way, from the medical facility. What does this mean? A rape survivor never has to go to a police station in order to report the rape. The physical evidence found in the medical exam becomes the DNA evidence that can form as the basis for a strong case.

Why the medical exam is so important

Even though it is not necessary to report the case immediately, or ever, you might still want to preserve the physical evidence. Physical evidence from rape (saliva, semen, blood) can be found both on your body and your clothes. If you cannot get to a medical facility (or police station) immediately your clothes should be preserved by wrapping them in newspaper NOT a plastic bag, so that they can be brought along with you for examination.

Because survivors of sexual violence are victims of a crime, medical evidence can be used in court to make a stronger case against the rapist or perpetrator. If you do want to report the case to the police, there are some risks that need to be kept in mind when seeking medical attention and treatment:

You can only get a rape kit done within 72 hours after the rape so that DNA evidence can be collected. If you go later than that they will not be able to collect evidence such as saliva, semen or blood from the rapist on your body.
If you wash or change your clothing before going to the hospital you might leave behind valuable evidence of the rape. If you remove your clothes but take them with you and put them in a plastic bag the evidence will be lost too. It is best to go in the clothes you were wearing and not to wash, but if you have removed your clothes take them with you in a cloth or paper bag.

The case

As a survivor of sexual violence, deciding what to do about what has happened to you can be difficult. You may be in shock or experiencing a rollercoaster of troubling emotions. The most important thing to remember is that the sooner that you can get to your nearest Thuthuzela Care Centre, specialist hospital or clinic or police station the better, because:

The rapist has less chance to escape
You may be able to remember more about the rape immediately afterwards
The physical (DNA) evidence that links the rapist to the crime will still be on your body – this evidence can be lost within 72 hours (three days)

The next steps of recovery

Another important reason for going to a medical facility like a Thuthuzela Care Centre as soon as possible is that you will be referred to a counselling service like the one at Rape Crisis. It is imperative that a survivor’s physical health is attended to first, and in the event of reporting that physical evidence is taken, but that is not where a survivor’s care needs stop. The mental and emotional ramifications of the trauma of sexual violence can be damaging and long-lasting. Prioritising your road to emotional recovery is important, and that is not a journey that you have to walk alone. Rape Crisis’ core mission is ensuring that no survivor feels alienated as they walk their road to holistic recovery.

Our free counselling service is here to make sure that you feel seen, heard and supported. No matter what you decide, you are not alone. If you can’t speak to anyone, speak to us.

24hr Helpline: 021 447 9762

Whatsapp line: 083 222 5164

Written By

Sino Mdunjeni

Digital Officer

30th Oct 2020/by Sino Mdunjeni

Know Your Rights – Your Rights As A Survivor

Counselling, GBV / Gender based violence, Road To Justice, Road To Recovery

We launched the #KnowYourRights awareness work on our social media platforms to ensure that rape survivors are aware of the health rights and health services that they are entitled to access. In an effort to speak directly to specific instances of sexual violence, the mini-campaign introduced our online community to 6 characters – characters that we could either see ourselves in or recognise as members of our communities – and their experiences with rape and gender-based violence.

By examining the health risks that affected them we could walk the journey of what health rights they could exercise through the health services that they could access. By collectively walking their journey to recovery as an online community we hoped to highlight how any and all of us can seek the survivor-sensitive care that we deserve, should we ever find ourselves or someone we care about in that situation.

THE CHARACTERS

HEALTH RIGHTS

Survivors of sexual violence have the right to free medical care, counselling and legal assistance. Survivors can access specialised facilities like Thuthuzela Care Centres, that provide the full suite of these services in one place. When accessing a specialist facility, a survivor can expect to be welcomed with containment and counselling before undergoing a medical exam. Following the exam they have the opportunity to consider taking legal action supported by any physical (DNA) evidence from the medical exam.

It is important to note that taking legal action by opening a case is not a must or prerequisite in order to access specialist health services. Survivors have a right to free medical assistance at these facilities whether they decide to report the rape and open a case, or not. A specialist facility will need to be accessed by the survivor within 72 hours (three days) in order for them to receive the necessary medical attention that they need, and for physical evidence to be examined before it fades (which typically happens within that 72 hour window).

HEALTH RISKS

Too often we only think about the health risks of rape in the context of the physical (DNA) evidence that can be used in a court case. It is up to a survivor whether or not they report a rape, regardless they have the legal right to free counselling and medical care which can be accessed at their nearest Thuthuzela Care Centre, specialised clinic or hospital. But a survivor’s journey to wellness is more than just about assembling a strong case for prosecution. As people that have been disavowed of the right to feel positive ownership of their bodies, it is important to highlight the treatment of health risks as part of the holistic journey to recovery that every survivor should receive.

As a survivor of sexual violence it is important to know and understand your health risks and rights, and the services that are available to you. If there is one message that needs to cemented in our minds, it is that anyone who survives sexual violence needs to see a doctor or get to a medical facility within 72 hours (three days). Sexually-transmitted infections and diseases (like HIV) need to be seen as soon as possible for a course of treatment to be effective, or viable.

You have a right to HIV prevention medicines, known as Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), if you go to a government health facility within 72 hours after someone has raped you. If you do not get the treatment that you need to prevent HIV infection soon enough, it will not work – the sooner that you do this the better, but after 72 hours it will be too late.

There is also the risk of falling pregnant, especially if you are not on any contraception. You have the right to emergency contraception in the form of the morning after pill. While abortions can be administered up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, regional hospitals and some private clinics will perform abortions up to 20 weeks if the pregnancy is a result of rape.

HEALTH SERVICES

As mentioned, there are specialised health services for rape survivors. Specialist health facilities like Thuthuzela Care Centres were created specifically as a critical part of South Africa’s anti-rape strategy. The Centres are one-stop facilities that offer counselling and containment, as well as medical and legal assistance to rape survivors.

Thuthuzela Care Centres respond to the needs of a rape survivor all in one place with sensitive and specially trained personnel. The aim of integrating survivor-centred health facilities like these into the public health system is to reduce the secondary victimisation and trauma that has been commonplace and a barrier to the reporting of rapes in this country.

All survivors of sexual violence have the right to access specialist health facilities at no cost.

COUNSELLING AND MENTAL HEALTH

An oft neglected part of the discourse about a survivor’s recovery is counselling and mental health. Emotional and mental recovery cannot be ignored when looking at the holistic recovery of a survivor. The shock and trauma of rape can do very real damage to your emotional health. You might have trouble sleeping and feel overwhelmed by strong emotions. If your emotional health is not well supported this could lead to anxiety and depression.

Seeking mental health support and having a space where you can take the time to focus solely on yourself is an act of self-compassion. Making your emotional wellbeing a priority is integral to your overall health and recovery. While so much empowerment and peace of mind can be gained from counselling, the real work is creating a plan to address and overcome your trauma. That is a journey in and of itself, one that can be life-changing. No survivor should ever feel alone on their road to recovery.

We are here to ensure that all survivors feel seen, heard and supported on their road to recovery. If you can’t speak to anyone, speak to us.

isiXhosa: 021 361 9085

Afrikaans: 021 633 9229

English: 021 447 9762

WhatsApp: 083 222 5164

Written By

Sino Mdunjeni

Digital Officer

9th Oct 2020/by Sino Mdunjeni

Being a black woman can be quite a phenomenon

GBV / Gender based violence

Image credit: MSIZI Agency Taken at our pathway through the criminal justice system workshop in Khayelitsha.

Being a black woman can be quite a phenomenon.. the kind of ‘endangered species’ phenomenon.
One moment we go ‘black lives matter!.. black lives matter’. The next we hear or read of our kind being found raped and murdered. Then it’s like.. women’s lives matter too!!

And then we are hurt, angry, sad and terrified. We don’t know what to do. Then we are moved to be part of every action/march/protest against GBVF (Gender based violence and femicide) that there is.. but then we realise these actions do not translate to change or less cases of GBVF. But we do get the needed feeling of having done something and being in solidarity- we are angry together.. we are triggered differently but together.. we cry together.. we voice our concerns together.. we put forward how these can be addressed, together.

When I think of the amount of work that needs to be done to get ourselves out of this GBVF horror or at least deal with it, I become exasperated.. because I don’t even know where we would begin.

It’s as if we need an army of psychosocial healers. One group to work with the adults/parents and the other to work with the young. Changing gender and power norms.. learning new ways of being – new ways of thinking and behaving. Learning takes time ke.

If GBV is about power.. then what empowers the man such that he doesn’t need to violently assert or exercise power on the woman and or child?

If perpetrators of GBVF are inflicting the same abuse and hurt they experienced. Do we need a massive drive of training Counsellors/Social Workers and Psychologists such that long-term counselling is readily accessible to everyone? For all of us to have healing spaces.

If these will take too long while women and children die.. what can be done immediately? So these crimes take place in our communities by people we know.. so we don’t keep quiet or witness and not collectively take action. When these have been reported the laws and law enforcement have to assist us.

This still sounds theoretical.. and has been said with many other great and actionable solutions.. yet GBVF cases are as, if not more, horrendous. Inoba siseza kufa thina kumane kusothukwa.. and simane sitoyi-toya. (We continue to die whilst the nation continues to be shocked and we also continue with our protests…)

When we experience collective trauma, we often feel helpless and alone. And the need to want to at the same time fight, fight for those who experience injustice and fight for the rights we have as humans. Collective trauma however, can motivate us too, it can encourage us to collectively take action by supporting those around us and engaging in those difficult conversations. In doing so, we will come to find that we are resilient.

If someone you know has been raped and is going through a challenging time, they will be feeling a range of emotions. And you might be feeling this too. We offer a 24 hour helpline in three languages and a WhatsApp line for text messages. For more information about our other services offered to survivors of sexual violence visit www.rapecrisis.org.za

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

isiXhosa: 021 361 9085

Afrikaans: 021 633 9229

English: 021 447 9762

WhatsApp: 083 222 5164

Email: communications@rapecrisis.org.za

Written by Neliswa Tshazi and Co-Authored by Zeenat Hendricks

Zeenat Hendricks is the Communications Coordinator for Rape Crisis. She prefers staying behind the scenes but has been exploring co-creation within the organisation and has been feeling motivated to start sharing the results of collaboration across teams.

Neliswa Tshazi qualified as a social worker at UCT. You can find her at Rape Crisis supporting and empowering survivors of gender-based violence. Follow her on Twitter.

24th Jun 2020/by zeenat