Welcome

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Rape Crisis has a vision of a South African criminal justice system that supports and empowers rape survivors in all of its

interventions.

Our mission is to act as a bridge between rape survivors and the system so that:

• More survivors report rape.• The number of rape incidents decrease.• Survivors experience reduced secondary trauma within the system.• The conviction rate of rapists increases thus providing a deterrent to rape.

We aim to achieve our mission through coordinated action between our three main programmes:

1. Counselling, crisis containment and court support directly to survivors.

2. Training and awareness programmes to civil society organisations, government partners and community groups .

3. Advocating for law reform with partners in the sector.

• Face-to-face counselling by experienced counsellors.• Counselling for family members, partners, spouses or friends of the survivor.• 24-hour crisis line and speak to survivors.• Ongoing social support in the form of support groups for survivors.• Support through the process of reporting and prosecution, a Rape Crisis counsellor will act as a liaison with various people in the criminal justice system.• 24 hour crisis containment at Thuthuzela Care Centres, which are one stop rape care centres based at regional hospitals (G F Jooste in Manenberg and Karl Bremer in Bellville) where the forensic examination and treatment of rape survivors takes place.• Pre trial consultation service to help prepare survivors for the rape trial.• The Pathway Through the Criminal Justice System programme: offering support at court throughout this experience.

Counselling, Crisis Containment And Court Support Directly to Survivors

• Awareness raising talks and workshops to community groups, other NGOs, criminal justice system officials, church groups and schools.

• Customised training courses to NGOs offering services to rape survivors as part of their offering and to criminal justice system.

• Peer education project trains selected high school learners to offer support and raise awareness about rape in their schools.

• SafeSpace Corporate Training and Consultation Service offers a package of services to the corporate and private sector

Training and DevelopmentAwareness Programmes

• Strong relationships with more that 60 networking partners across South Africa and abroad and are members of several national and provincial working groups including the National Working Group on Sexual Offences and the Provincial Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP) Task Team.

• Participate as active members in several ongoing campaigns including the Shukumisa Campaign to improve infrastructure available for prosecuting sexual offences and the Road to Justice Campaign to persuade government to enact Victim Empowerment Legislation that will improve services and access to justice for all victims of violent crime.

•Our advocacy is based on research and we are in the process of building a computerised research database to capture vital information about the nature of rape in South Africa and about survivors’ experiences of the criminal justice system.

Working for Change

South Africa: Rape Capital of the world

• Rape is about power.• Rape happens within a context of lawlessness and corruption.• Rape is about instant gratification and entitlement.

Why are most rapes not reported to the police?

• The stigmatisation of rape• The attitudes of the police• Survivor unfriendly services• The perpetrator

Myths About Rape

• Myths lead people to blame women. • Myths make people doubt what the victim says. • Myths make rape survivors feel too ashamed or too guilty• Myths hide the fact that a rapist can come from any race, social class or environment. • Myths make us believe that we can prevent rape from happening to us.

Myths take away the dignity and humanity of the survivor, causing her more trauma and pain and lowering her chances of recovery. Myths also prevent many rapists from being prosecuted. It is vital that all of us in society reject these myths, so that survivors may fully recover and more rapists be convicted.

A woman who gets drunk is inviting rape.It’s not rape if a woman wears revealing clothing, because then she wants sex.Rapists are always strangers in the dark.It’s not rape if the woman has given her consent to having sex with the man before.It’s not rape if the woman and man are married or in a relationship.Sex workers can’t be raped.Women say they have been raped to get revenge on a man.A woman who withdraws rape charges was never raped in the first place.It can only be called rape if there is sexual intercourse.If the victim gets sexually aroused or has an orgasm during the rape, it means she enjoyed it.A woman is asking to get raped if she goes into an unsafe area, such as a bad neighbourhood or a bar.Rapists are mentally ill madmen or are sex starved.Once a man is sexually excited, he cannot stop.Women say ‘no’ when they mean ‘yes’.Gay men and lesbians deserve to be raped.Homosexuality can be “cured” through rape.

Sexual Offences ActRape

Any person (A) who unlawfully and intentionally commits an act of sexual penetration with a complainant (B), without the consent of B, is guilty of the offence of Rape.

Compelled Rape

Any person (A) who unlawfully an intentionally compels a third person (C), without the consent of C, to commit an act of sexualpenetration with a complainant (B), without the consent of B, is guilty of the offence of compelled rape.

What to do when you are faced with someone who has been raped?

Preventing Secondary Trauma

Preventing secondary trauma involves The conscious use of the

“principles of empowerment”

• Physical, emotional and mental• Reassurance of physical safety from further harm• Reassurance about confidentiality• Making the victim feel comfortable• Explaining upcoming procedures in detail• Offering to call a family member or other trusted person

Safety

• Give information to the victim• Receive information from the victim• Involve the victim in all decisions that affect him or her• Ensure that interventions happen with victim’s informed consent• Inform victim of his or her legal rights

Restoring Control

• Treat the person with respect for their dignity• Affirm their strengths• Speak in their own language where possible• Listen attentively• Adhere to their wishes as far as possible• Respect diversity of language, culture, religion, race, sexual orientation and gender

Respect

• Treat the person in a caring manner• Offer access to available resources• Offer emotional support to victims• Offer practical support to victims• Involve family members or other trusted person in supporting the victim• Refer victims to other relevant services for further assistance• Accompany victim in stressful situations

Ongoing support

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