Who are we?

We defend the interests of victims of sexual and psychological violence.

Stichting (‘foundation’ in Dutch) Cassandra is a non-profit organisation and has its registered office in the cultural city of Maastricht, The Netherlands.

The organisation was founded by an autistic activist, after an almost 3-year struggle with the Dutch police and government concerning the investigation of her rape case. The need for this activist was clear: something must change. During those three years she connected with like-minded people with similar ideas. Where her PTSD disorder would restrict her, others said they wanted to help. On December 12, 2019, the foundation Stichting Cassandra became reality.

Within 24 hours four creative women gave their promise to become ambassadors of the foundation. Ona Ena designed and donated the logo and nine volunteers immediately joined behind the scenes. The artist behind Zara’s Comics was given the first assignment: to provide the drawn illustrations for our website.

Inspiration

In Greek mythology Cassandra was a woman who could predict the future but was cursed: nobody would believe her. In the temple of Athena, Cassandra was brutally raped by Ajax. After she was killed, Cassandra gained access to the Elysian fields, a kind of heaven, because her soul was devout. The Cassandra complex refers to someone who tells the truth but is not believed.

‘We will not stay silent’ is the slogan of Stichting Cassandra. The sentence is written in Norwegian (‘vil vi ikke tie’). A wink to a special victim who, in 2018, shared a story with a journalist; the experiences of the person who would eventually go on to found Cassandra.

Future

The foundation has many plans. Cassandra is now in the first phase: research, fundraising, networking, recruiting volunteers and starting small-scale projects. We will not stay silent anymore. Will you shout with us?

Welcome to Cassandra!

Pieke Roelofs, board member and founder Stichting Cassandra.