Against all odds, Mara survived a life-threatening event involving grievous bodily harm. After she recovered she founded TEARS, an organisation that provides a support network for victims of rape and abuse. Her aim is to enable victims of rape and sexual abuse to find the assistance, comfort and compassion they need. She is passionate about women’s rights and the fact that despite our progressive laws and many studies done on violence against women in South Africa, women still have very little protection. She has been a crusader for social issues over the past six decades and the driving force and facilitator behind numerous development conventions and training initiatives to change the perception of the community and public in general around rape, abuse and Gender-based violence.

Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault.

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person’s consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or against a person who is incapable of valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, or below the legal age of consent (16)

Date rape is forcible sexual intercourse during a voluntary social engagement in which the “victim” did not intend to submit to the sexual advances and resisted the acts (either by verbal refusal, denials or pleas to stop, and/or physical resistance).

Sexual assault can range from inappropriate touching, to a life-threatening attack, rape or any other penetration of the mouth, vagina, anus or drug facilitated sexual assault. It’s a myth that victims of sexual assault always look battered and bruised. A sexual assault may leave no outward signs, but it’s still a crime.

Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of an entity, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; wrongful practice or custom; offence; crime, or otherwise verbal aggression.

Emotional abuse (also known as psychological abuse) is any act including confinement, isolation, verbal assault, humiliation, intimidation, infantilization, or any other treatment which may diminish the sense of identity, dignity, and self-worth.

Physical abuse is an intentional act of another party involving contact intended to cause feelings of physical pain, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, dating abuse, and intimate partner violence (IPV), is a pattern of behaviour which involves the abuse by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, cohabitation, dating or within the family. Domestic violence can take many forms, including physical aggression or assault (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, slapping, throwing objects, battery), or threats thereof; sexual abuse; emotional abuse; controlling or domineering; intimidation; stalking; passive/covert abuse (e.g., neglect); and economic deprivation.