When 25-year old Fatuma was raped just a few doors away from her own home in Khayelitsha, South Africa, she knew exactly what to do afterwards.

“I was in shock and I felt as though my life was ruined forever. But something in me must have wanted to survive because I knew I mustn’t wash and that I had to get to a clinic within 72 hours to get medicines to protect me from HIV. I had heard it on the radio and read the leaflets.”

Beacon of hope for survivors of rape

This vital information came from the Khayelitsha Thuthuzela Forensic Centre, a “one-stop shop” for survivors of rape that is a beacon of hope in an area of South Africa that has a very high rate of sexual violence. Thuthuzela is a Xhosa word meaning ‘comfort’.

People are advised to go straight to the centre if they are sexually assaulted, to receive emergency HIV prevention medication - a 28-day course of antiretrovirals, known as “PEP”. Once there, they are also offered advice and support on preventing other sexually transmitted diseases, as well avoiding unwanted pregnancies. They are given psychological support and, if they want it, help to seek justice.