Unbelievable is based on a true story of a serial rapist and how detectives dealing with one of the cases got it so heartbreakingly wrong!
Johannesburg, South Africa – Before we even start discussing the importance of this series, we want to issue a potential spoiler alert. We will try really hard not to give away any details, but some parts may give away the plot. Even though the series is based on actual events, we hope to not spoil it for anyone who has yet to watch.
Unbelievable is based on a real-life crime story. It follows the investigation into a serial rapist who avoided capture for over two years.
A teen girl living alone, was broken-into and raped in her room. She went through the entire process of reporting the rape, reliving each moment every single time she had to retell the story. After having to relive the whole ordeal one too many times, the detectives investigating the crime scared her into retracting her statement.
What was an already complicated process is made even harder by the investigating officers. As it is a true story, many are now calling for a stronger female presence when it comes to reporting and investigating rape cases.
In the show, there is a sharp contrast between how to properly deal with a rape case and how to royally mess it up. Empathy and understanding go so much further when supporting a rape victim through the second most difficult moment of her life.
The general public opinion today is that every rape case should have at least one female officer that works through the process. The show highlights why so many women choose not to report their rapes. With better processes and more support, women would feel safer coming forward.
While the series is based on an American case, it is familiar to women across the globe. Gender-based violence is a hot topic in South Africa at the moment, and many organisations are now talking about how to make a difference in South Africa.
‘Enough is Enough’, is now training people to be better when dealing with rape cases.
“We are over the moon with joy to let SA know that we have partnered with Johns Hopkins University and Coursera to help better train the people of SA whom deal with victims of rape and/or abuse. We are tired of hearing how victims of rape and/or abuse get mistreated when they try report it or get taken to hospitals”
“So many victims don’t come forward or withdraw their case because of the way they get treated by people whom are not trained correctly to handle them in the first place.”
“We will be helping everyone that needs to get the proper training on how to deal with these situations. We have informed the government. We will not be waiting for them to reply to do the right thing and train their staff with our help! We will be going ahead and doing it for them.”
You can find out more about Enough is Enough and what they are doing to help women in South Africa here. If you have not watched Unbelievable, you can do so on Netflix. It is an eight-episode series. Take a look at the trailer below.
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