Road To Recovery Archives - Page 2 of 3

Storytelling: How the #SurvivorSeries was Born

Counselling, GBV / Gender based violence, Road To Recovery, Speak Out

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). SAAM is observed to raise awareness and provide education about sexual assault prevention. For the 21st annual SAAM, we launched the #SurvivorSeries on our social media channels. The video series was created during what we dubbed our ‘Storytelling Circles’ – where survivors and members of our organisation got the opportunity to share their very personal survivor journeys.

Storytelling is central to our work at Rape Crisis. Everyday survivors invite us into their lives to walk their journeys of recovery and personhood in our counselling programme. The ‘Storytelling Circles’ were an expansion of that – a group setting of support and empowerment that nurtured a courageously unfiltered expression of the intricacies of the rape (and sexual violence) survivor journey.

Three (3) beautiful women allowed us an unfettered look into their journeys. We allowed each storyteller to speak as freely as they pleased, and the result is an electrically unbridled video series that gets to the heart of the experiences of rape survivors in South Africa. The Circles were led by a storytelling coach, Philippa Namutebi Kabali-Kagwa, who highlights and unpacks the value of storytelling as a medium in the introduction video (that you can watch below).

The #SurvivorSeries is comprised of five (5) videos – including a courageous first-hand survivor account, a second-hand account of a rape survivor’s experience with the police, as well as a Rape Crisis Volunteer’s experiences touching the lives of survivors at our community workshops. What you will hear will be sensitive, sometimes challenging and may be triggering. The videos all have a trigger warning at the beginning – if what you hear does trigger you, please do not hesitate to contact our 24-hour counselling helpline 021 447-9762.

Overview – Phillippa on the power of storytelling

Kath – On the immeasurable value of storytelling at Rape Crisis

Fumana – On what a family member did to her when she was 8 years old

Nomvula – On how a Rape Crisis workshop helped a rape survivor with the police

Nosipho – On her journey touching the lives of rape survivors as a Rape Crisis workshop facilitator

Former Rape Crisis Director, Kath Dey: “At Rape Crisis we believe in the principle of empowerment. Rape essentially takes away a person’s power, and it takes away all choice and agency that they have in that particular moment. There are many things that are traumatic about rape, but that helplessness and inability to have any impact over what is happening is a very powerful part of it.

“Everything that we do at Rape Crisis is designed to undo that. And to renew the possibility of having power, of having choice, of having agency – of being able to have impact on your world and on your life.”

The #SurvivorSeries was filmed by the Msizi Agency.

Written by

Sino Mdunjeni

Digital Officer

30th April 2021/by Sino

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.

9th October 2020/by Sino

Dreams are not all dreamy

Road To Recovery

Dreams are not all dreamy

We all dream although we don’t always remember our dreams. Dreams are a bit like the brains way of processing all the stuff that has been going on throughout the day including things that you may be struggling with. We might wake up and chuckle a bit or are puzzled by them because our dreams can be a little bizarre or extraordinary or impossible in reality. Many people have at one time or another had a nightmare. For a survivor of sexual violence, nightmares are no laughing matter. They are a symptom of trauma. One of several troubling symptoms that can recur years after the incident has happened.

14th May 2020/by Sino

Dealing with recovering from trauma during COVID-19 lockdown

Counselling, Road To Recovery

The possibility of a lock down was on everyone’s lips even before the declaration was made. Along with this came uncertainty and anxiety about the future and high levels of anxiety about how one should respond to feel safe from harm. Conflicting stories and opinions and panic buying seemed to be compressed into a few days that simultaneously felt like they lasted for an age. Anxiety felt as contagious as the virus we had all been warned about.

2nd April 2020/by Sino

In These Moments

Road To Recovery

In these moments it is okay to feel hopeless, helpless, vulnerable and angry. The past week has highlighted horrific incidents of violence against women. People have expressed their rage, helplessness and hopelessness at the situation and rightly so. Many of us are experiencing moral fatigue on social issues in South Africa and globally.

4th September 2019/by Sino

Phases of Recovery

Road To Recovery

Each person copes with trauma in a different way, depending on their circumstances. We cannot tell you exactly how you will or should feel if you have been raped, but we can tell you what we have learnt from other rape survivors. By describing their feelings and coping mechanisms, we hope to offer you strength […]

28th May 2019/by Sino

Principles of Empowerment

Road To Recovery

At Rape Crisis, we have developed a counselling approach that empowers survivors and encourages them to be active participants in their respective paths to recovery. Our counsellors are trusted allies and empathic witnesses to our survivors and their stories.

28th May 2019/by Sino

Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS)

Road To Recovery

People exposed to sexual violence often feel that their lives have changed forever and that they will never come to terms with the trauma they have suffered. They believe they will never again be free to trust other people, especially those who resemble the person who violated them. The many myths surrounding sexual violence only […]

23rd May 2019/by rapecrisisblog

A new Rape Crisis campaign hits close to home.

Advocacy, Road To Recovery

It is estimated that 40% of South African women will be raped in their lifetime and only 8.6% of rape perpetrators are convicted. Unfortunately, most people believe these rapes only occur in dark alleyways by hooded strangers. Rape Crisis’ new campaign reveals that the truth is a lot closer to home. 68% of rape survivors […]

21st February 2019/0 Comments/by rapecrisisblog

What is Rape?

Road To Recovery

Rape is a violent crime in which a person uses sexual acts to intentionally harm and hurt another. We cannot talk about rape in polite terms or hide the truth about it. Rape is an abuse of power and an abuse of sex.
It is important for rape survivors to understand the exact meaning of the laws on rape for two reasons:

Firstly, a rape survivor needs enough information about the law to know whether her case has a chance of succeeding or not.
Secondly, the survivor needs to know exactly what is expected of them to prove that the rapist is guilty in the eyes of the law.

The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act (Act 32 of 2007) has been in effect in South Africa since 16 December 2007. This law states that it is a crime to intentionally commit a sexual act against another person without that person’s consent.

20th November 2018/0 Comments/by rapecrisisblog