NAME THE SHAME
Welcome to

NAME THE SHAME

A private first step for anyone carrying the shame of someone else's actions.

Your answers stay on your device.

Find the words

What happened has a name.

The shame is not yours.

A private tool to help put language to an experience that made you feel uncomfortable, unsafe, confused or powerless.

Nothing you enter is sent or saved.
This prototype works entirely in your browser. Closing or clearing it removes your answers.

This tool is for adults and is not counselling, emergency assistance or legal advice.

Before we begin

One step at a time.

You do not have to tell your whole story.

You do not have to remember everything. You do not have to be certain. You can stop, go back or leave at any time.

Nothing is sent or saved. This tool does not make legal or clinical findings.

Beginning

Start with the part you can name.

You do not need to tell the whole story or be certain. Choose anything that feels close.

Naming

Which descriptions feel relevant?

These are prompts, not legal findings. Choose only what you want to choose.

Reflection

Here is what you named.

Your response to a difficult situation does not transfer responsibility to you.

Language

You decide what words feel true.

Some language you may want to consider:

Optional. This stays in this browser session only.

Your experience

What did it leave you carrying?

Feelings are real. They are not proof that you caused what happened.

Reclaiming

The shame is not yours.

You may have frozen, adapted, stayed quiet, laughed it off, complied, left, reported it or told no one. Whatever you did to get through it does not make you responsible for what another person chose to do.

Choosing

What would help right now?

There is no correct next step. Stopping here is also a choice.

Private documentation

Record only what feels useful.

Date or approximate period: Where it happened: What was said or done: Who was present: What happened afterwards: Messages, emails or other records: Who I have told: How it affected me:

Keep any saved record somewhere secure. A file may be visible to other people with access to your device or cloud backups.

Reaching out

You can ask for listening, not fixing.

Something happened that crossed a line. I am still working out how to describe it. I do not need you to contact anyone or solve it for me. I need you to listen and help me think through what I want to do next.
Enough for today

Naming it was a step.

You do not owe this website, your workplace, the industry or anyone else another action right now.

Support in South Africa

You do not have to handle this alone.

If you are in immediate danger, call emergency services. The links and numbers below leave this prototype.

Emergency from a mobile phone
Call 112
Police
Call 10111
Gender-Based Violence Command Centre
Call 0800 428 428
Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust
English: 021 447 9762
isiXhosa: 021 361 9085
Afrikaans: 021 633 9229
WhatsApp: 083 222 5164

These services are independent of Name The Shame. Availability and operating details can change.