--- description: Find out how Stansa Stark's rape scene in 'Game of Thrones' has inspired Sophie Turner to advocate for survivors of wartime sexual violence. title: Sophie Turner: 'Game of Thrones' Rape Scene Inspired My Activism image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb68b955c07433fe2/698898a3bc6cfc02723dd7b9/sophie-turner-sansa-stark.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Sophie Turner Says _Game of Thrones_ Rape Scene Inspired Her to Advocate for Survivors by [Kate Dwyer](/author/kate-dwyer/) ## Kate Dwyer Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 9, 2017 8:09 PM CUT  Sophie Turner attends a Global Fan Screening of 'X-Men Apocalypse' at BFI IMAX on May 9, 2016 in London, England. Sophie Turner attends a Global Fan Screening of 'X-Men Apocalypse' at BFI IMAX on May 9, 2016 in London, England.Julian Parker—UK Press /Getty Images by [Kate Dwyer](/author/kate-dwyer/) ## Kate Dwyer Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 9, 2017 8:09 PM CUT Sophie Turner’s _Game of Thrones_ character Sansa Stark made headlines for a controversial rape scene [in 2015](http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/game-of-thrones-rape-sansa-stark "undefined"). Following the public’s outrage over the scene, Turner saw an opportunity to open a dialogue about sexual violence as a [weapon of war](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/mar/02/sexual-violence-is-a-tool-of-war-but-we-have-the-weapons-to-end-that "undefined"), she wrote in an essay for the [Thomson Reuters Foundation](http://news.trust.org/item/20170301173336-tehfg/ "undefined"). “I wondered why people feel so impassioned to speak out about a fictional rape when this happens all over the world every day,” she wrote. Turner is now Patron for [Women for Women International](http://www.womenforwomen.org.uk/about-us "undefined"), an organization that helps women survivors of war to rebuild. She traveled to Rwanda, where an estimated 500,000 women suffered systematic rape and roughly a million people were killed in a 1994 genocide. On her trip, Turner visited the [Kigali Genocide Memorial](http://www.kgm.rw/ "undefined") and also met with women who had been personally affected by the violence, many of whom are enrolled in Women for Women’s life skills and business training program. “The women I met in Rwanda have inspired me in so many ways,” she wrote. “In a time where it seems a lot of focus is being placed upon domestic issues and concerns, it’s important that we draw some attention to the people who aren’t able to publicize the horrors that are occurring or have occurred in their own countries,” Turner wrote. “Ultimately, I hope to help \[Women for Women International\] build their network and raise much needed funds to help more women survivors of war.” \[[Thomson Reuters Foundation](http://news.trust.org/item/20170301173336-tehfg/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4697273/sophie-turner-game-of-thrones-rape-scene-inspired-activism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4697273/sophie-turner-game-of-thrones-rape-scene-inspired-activism/"},"headline":"Sophie Turner Says Game of Thrones Rape Scene Inspired Her to Advocate for Survivors","datePublished":"2017-03-09T20:09:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:08.817Z","description":"The actress traveled to Rwanda to meet with survivors of violence","url":"https://time.com/4697273/sophie-turner-game-of-thrones-rape-scene-inspired-activism/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb68b955c07433fe2/698898a3bc6cfc02723dd7b9/sophie-turner-sansa-stark.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Dwyer","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kate-dwyer/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb68b955c07433fe2/698898a3bc6cfc02723dd7b9/sophie-turner-sansa-stark.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"\"X-Men Apocalypse\" - Global Fan Screening - Red Carpet Arrivals","caption":"Sophie Turner attends a Global Fan Screening of 'X-Men Apocalypse' at BFI IMAX on May 9, 2016 in London, England.","creditText":"Julian Parker—UK Press /Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4697273/sophie-turner-game-of-thrones-rape-scene-inspired-activism/","name":"Sophie Turner Says Game of Thrones Rape Scene Inspired Her to Advocate for Survivors"}}]}] ```