Muslim Sexual Assault Survivors’ Experiences: Reflections from the Trenches

---

Shafieka Moos 

---

South Africa has notoriously high levels of gender-based violence affecting all strata of society, including its minority Muslim population. However, the dearth of research on Muslim sexual assault survivors obscures an understanding of the psycho-spiritual aspects affecting their recovery processes. Based on the experiences of Muslim counsellors and clients at Rape Crisis Cape Town, key themes emerge in counselling engagements with Muslim clients. Amongst these, victim-blame discourses from family and community, as well as trauma-related religious meanings, feature strongly in survivors’ narratives. These themes are reflective of dominant Muslim discourses on sexual violence, which tend to reinforce ambiguous, avoidant attitudes toward the rights and needs of sexual assault survivors.*

*Caution: The content in this essay is of a sensitive nature and may cause some readers distress.