Every fourth South African man admits to having committed rape.

The Male Activists

“Sadly, we men have learned that we are worth more than women.


Who:
Antonio Agraz
What: Works in a men’s network for equality.


The Imam

“Sexual response is important. Mutual pleasure is good for the marriage.”


Who:
Hassanein Abdelhakam
What: Religious leader who has changed his opinion and is now oppose to genital mutilation.


The Police Officer

“The more time that passes between the crime and prosecution, the greater the risk that the plaintiff will change her mind.”


Who:
Camilla Johansson, investigator in the external interview group of the family violence unit, north-west Skåne police district.
What:
Turns out immediately there is a police report of violence in a close relationship.


The Veteran

“I said I had two other options: I could become a beggar or a prostitute.”


Who:
Ana Maria Perez del Campo
What: Started a women’s shelter where the women stay for eighteen months. So far no-one has returned to her violent husband after her stay.


Family Justice Center

Police, food vouchers and child therapy in the same building.


Who:
Family Justice Centre
What:
Has gathered all forms of support for victims of violence in close relationships under one roof: a One Stop Shop.


Panzi Hospital

“Would a male lion destroy a female lion’s genitals? It’s unthinkable.”  


Who:
Panzi Hospital
What:
Treats survivors of sexual violence and women with severe gynaecological problems.


The Youth Leader

“Partner violence in Santa Marta has not disappeared, but it is no longer hidden away.”


Who:
Itamar Silva
What:
Runs a project to raise equality awareness in the Grupo Eco youth group in the Santa Marta favela.


The School for Fathers

“The most important thing is that the men don’t need to feel they are alone with their questions, feelings and expectations.”


Who:
Sergey Zakharow
What: Child psychologist who holds courses for fathers-to-be. 


The Psychologists

“When I started working I was naive, and my aim was to have families reunited.”


Who:
Elena Zolotilova and Tatiana Pavlova
What: Fighting to open the city’s first women’s shelter.


Transit and Safety House

The women are so keen to learn.”


Who:
Maison Dorcas
What:
Help Panzi Hospital’s patients who have been the victims of violence to make the transition back into society.


The Therapist

Is your family more important than you yourself?


Who:
Maria Cristina D’Almeida Marques
What:
Runs group therapy sessions and offers counselling to abused women.

“Someone who lives in a violent relationship loses track of time and appointments – in fact, of everything that’s going on around her,” says therapist Maria Cristina D’Almeida Marques. “A woman who is the victim of violence focuses on the man and his demands.”