In the late 1980s, when I was directing the program development of a group called Family Survivors of Homicide, we discovered that there was a dearth of information regarding crime victimization and especially homicide. The information that we did find was often misleading and minimizing. So we did our own journeying. In hindsight, I find the journey itself to be informative.
 
Twenty year old Gugu was convicted for fraud when she stole her friend’s ATM card, withdrew money and used the card to buy an expensive cellphone worth R1000.00. Her friend realised that money was being withdrawn from her account when she received the banking sms. The friend went to the police and opened a case against Gugu, who was arrested and charged.
 

Coping with crime

Everyone reacts differently to crime. How you react will depend on lots of different factors – some relating to the incident and some relating to you, such as the kind of person you are, the support networks you might already have and the experiences you've had in your life.