IS AN ABSURD LAW THAT KEEPS
RAPISTS
ANONYMOUS
AND SILENCES RAPE VICTIMS
IN A WAY THAT VICTIMS OF OTHER SERIOUS CRIMES ARE NOT.
WE BELIEVE THAT RAPE VICTIMS
SHOULD HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS
AS VICTIMS OF OTHER SERIOUS AND VIOLENT CRIMES.
HELP US CHANGE THE LAW THAT PROTECTS RAPISTS.
HOW DO YOU CHALLENGE
AN UNFAIR LAW
WITHOUT BREAKING THE LAW?
By exposing the absurdity and injustice of
Section 154(2)(b) of the Criminal Procedure Act
Using the world’s first civil disobedience A.I., we’re enabling women to symbolically name accused rapists using a creative loophole.
ENCODING A RAPIST’S NAME WITH EMOJIS MEANS WOMEN CAN’T BE PROSECUTED FOR TYPING IN THE NAME OF AN ACCUSED RAPIST .
Everybody knows emojis have hidden meanings.
Ours are symbols of defiance, hidden in plain sight.
Meaningful to those who know what to look for.
UNTIL SECTION 154 (2)(b) IS OVERTURNED,
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SAFELY NXME HIM
This law is real
It is a law that protects the identity of accused rapists
and violent sexual predators
whilst criminalising the women who name them.
Rape survivors,
who name accused rapists before they plead guilty or not guilty,
can face criminal charges, potential fines or
imprisonment for up to 3 years
HOW THIS UNJUST LAW WORKS
Unlike a murder or any other serious crime, once a charge has been laid against a rapist, it’s illegal to name him, or mention any identifying details, until he enters a plea of guilty or not guilty in court.
THE CATCH?
THIS CAN TAKE MONTHS, OR USUALLY YEARS,
FOR THE ACCUSED TO PLEAD IN COURT
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
During this time, the inability to mention
the rapist’s name makes it much harder:
For other victims to come forward and expose serial rapists
To gather eyewitness or other witness testimony
For new forensic evidence to be collected
This law doesn’t just affect
a small minority of people.
Every year the law silences
53000 victims
who report sexual violence.
Whilst victims of other serious crimes, including murder and armed robbery, face no such restrictions.
THIS IS ANOTHER WAY IN WHICH CRIMES THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT WOMEN ARE TREATED LESS SERIOUSLY,
UNDERMINING THE INTEGRITY OF THE COMPLAINANT
The law feeds into harmful stereotypes :
that women lie, and that protecting the reputations of men matters more
than seeking justice.
In this day and age, for a law to discriminate against victims of sexual violence is irrational and therefore unconstitutional.
Sign our petition to urge The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development of South Africa, currently Minister Mmamoloko “Nkhensani” Kubayi, to end the silencing of rape victims.
We have already won several precedent-setting cases that have improved women’s access to justice in South Africa.
Using strategic litigation (litigation that goes beyond a single case to advance all women’s rights) has proven to be a key strategy in developing feminist jurisprudence through precedent-setting cases. We litigate in our own name, on behalf of clients, and in the public interest
Contact us
The Women’s Legal Centre is an African feminist law organisation that has advanced women’s rights and equality in South Africa for over 25 years through Feminist legal strategies.
We advance our mission through 5 interconnected pillars.
We litigate
We advocate
We provide free legal advice on matters aligned to our programmatic areas
We collaborate
We educate