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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 Development
Awareness 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 Act
Rape
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 sexual
penetration 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

Thank you
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