Foundation reveals the phrases that can harm or heal rape survivors.
Each hour in South Africa, nearly five people report being raped. By the time a family sits down for dinner, another five survivors may have walked into a police station or hospital carrying the weight of unimaginable trauma.
Yet for many, the pain does not end with the assault; it can continue in the words spoken by those they trust most.
Against this backdrop, the Jes Foord Foundation is urging South Africans to think carefully before responding to survivors of sexual abuse, warning that even well-intentioned comments can deepen trauma instead of offering comfort.
According to the South African Police Service crime statistics, 42,780 rapes were reported during the 2022/23 financial year.
