In South Africa, rape victims who name their rapist before he has entered a plea of guilty or not guilty in court can face criminal charges. Even jail.

Meanwhile, the accused stays anonymous, protected by Section 154(2)(b) of the Criminal Procedure Act, which makes it illegal to publish any identifying details about a person accused of a sexual offence before they plead guilty or not guilty.

That means if a survivor names the man who raped her before he has pleaded, she becomes the criminal.

Under this law, survivors can face fines or imprisonment of up to three years.

The same law does not apply to other violent crimes like murder or armed robbery, where the accused can be named immediately after arrest.

This double standard silences survivors, frustrates investigations, protects accused rapists, and keeps the public in the dark.

Why This Law Is Unjust

Once charges are laid, cases can take months or even years before an accused rapist pleads guilty or not guilty in court. During that time, the law prevents the victim, media and public from naming him or even discussing identifying details, making it harder to:

• Identify other victims who might have been assaulted by the same perpetrator
• Gather witness statements or other vital evidence
• Prevent repeat offences

Why It Matters

This law feeds into harmful stereotypes that women lie, that survivors should remain silent, and that protecting men’s reputations matters more than holding them accountable.

It’s time to end this injustice.

What We’re Doing

The Women’s Legal Centre, a feminist public interest law organisation, is legally challenging this law in court and is launching a campaign to raise awareness and support the legal challenge

By using the world’s first civil disobedience AI, we’re enabling women to symbolically name accused rapists in a safe way, with an uncrackable emoji code.

Our campaign gives survivors a voice through a symbolic platform that exposes how unjust the law is, without breaking it.

Go to www.nxmehim.com to experience this emoji code.

What You Can Do

Sign this petition to support the Women’s Legal Centre’s legal challenge and demand that The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development of South Africa reform this law. 

Survivors deserve protection, not punishment.

You can also help by donating to support our legal costs at www.wlce.co.za Every contribution strengthens our fight to change this unjust law.

Let’s end the silence, and change the law.