Activist faced barrage of abuse after rape
AN AMERICAN women’s rights activist who blogged about being raped minutes after being attacked in Cape Town has labelled the barrage of negative comments from social media users as a form of “internalised misogyny and sexism”.
The account of the rape by Amber Amour, who had 20 000 followers on Instagram at the time of the attack, sent shockwaves through social media and her followers doubled to 42 000.
Amour, 27, says although she received messages of support, there were others that were “vicious”.
“They called my Instagram post a fraud, fake and called me a liar, slut and said that I was stupid. And these are women who have survived the same thing as I have. I think something inside of them believes the lies of society that rape is the survivor’s fault. Perhaps they feel they were at fault when they were raped and are projecting that on to me.”
Amour says if she had stayed mum she would have been a hypocrite. “I was telling survivors every day they should speak to their families, the police or on social media. There was no way I could have kept quiet… I could not continue leading the movement.”
Amour was in South Africa to promote the “Stop Rape. Educate” world tour, an artistic campaign to end sexual violence against women, men and children by teaching the public about rape culture, consent and healthy boundaries.
Speaking to Independent Newspapers in Cape Town yesterday, she said she had launched the group because she had been sexually assaulted at 12.
“I needed to have a voice and I needed to be heard. I needed people to start paying attention.”
Amour arrived in Cape Town on November 14 and said the rape occurred when she was visiting friends at Carnival Court, a backpack- ers’ lodge in Long Street, on November 21.
Amour said she had met the rapist, who called himself “Shakir”, on her second day.
”He said he lived on the street and when I told him about the work that I do he was supportive about the cause. He even helped me to do chalk art at the V&A Waterfront.”
Amour said that at 6pm on November 21 the man followed her to the top level of the building and asked if she wanted to take a shower.
“I thought it was a miracle because I had been so sick with food poisoning for two days. The previous lodge I stayed at didn’t have hot water after all the guests had showered.”
Amour said after Shakir closed the bathroom door he began kissing her aggressively. “I told him to stop immediately and that it was not the reason why I went into the bathroom with him. There was a point where he was grabbing and hugging me and I could literally feel something really emotionally painful inside him.”
The man pulled at her clothes and raped her, while she said she repeatedly told him to stop. “I was defenceless because I had been vom- iting for two days.”
She passed out after being raped repeatedly, she said.
Amour documented her ordeal on Instagram shortly afterwards. “I did that because I needed to be heard. I didn’t know how the police were going to react, so I told the world…
“I think if I hadn’t been an activist I probably would not have reacted in this way.”
Janine Rowley, founder of Woman Against Rape, says rape should be made more visible in the media and on social media. “I was raped when I was 7 and at 60 I am still feeling the effects.”
Amour returned to Cape Town at the request of the police and says she has been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder since being back.
She reported the attack to the US embassy.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut said a man had appeared in court and been granted bail.
Heidi Ramsay, deputy spokeswoman for the US embassy, said the US consulategeneral in Cape Town was providing any assistance Amour needed.
The owner of Carnival Court was not available for comment.