Protection hotline founder pulls 3 ton vehicle to symbolise struggle against GBV
"Doing it on your own makes you feel overwhelmed. Your body hurts, breathing becomes difficult and you realise you are on your own."
The founder of the child protection hotline in Pretoria East pulled a three-ton vehicle for a kilometre to raise awareness of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign recently.
“It is hard and heavy,” said Danie van Loggerenberg during this visit to the New Hope school.
“Doing it on your own makes you feel overwhelmed. Your body hurts, breathing becomes difficult, you realise you are on your own and even though people are watching, they tend to record it on their cellphones instead of helping.
“Once you feel you can pull no more, you start going slower and then as you feel you have built up enough energy, you start the struggle all over again.”
“It is a small opportunity to get more attention to face the biggest challenge South Africa faces, namely gender-based violence (GBV).
“At the hotline, we want to ensure that GBV victims realise they are not alone and that when they speak up, we are there to listen.
“We find that the biggest reason women (and then their children through their choices) stay in abusive relationships, is because they are dependent on their partners for finances. The abuser pays for the house, the car, the food and all other expenses.
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“The one sentence we always hear is: “but then I would need to find a job”.
Van Loggerenberg added that we need to empower women with the knowledge that they are so much more than the abuse they have accepted.
“They, however, need to decide to walk away and many women tend to return to their abuser, even if presented with the opportunity to start over.
“Much of that is due to the trauma bond that has formed. Unfortunately, all the help in the world is rendered useless if an abused partner decides to stay in an abusive relationship,” he said.
By pulling the vehicle, the hotline wants to symbolise this struggle.
Van Loggerenberg said that we might not understand what people are going through.
“We are aware that it is difficult and that some of the most difficult decisions still lie ahead.
“We decided to pull the vehicle at New Hope school, because of the amazing work they do for their learners. We want their children to realise we are there for them and whenever they need help, we will gladly help them,” he said.
New Hope school, a non-profit organisation is one of the largest schools for special needs education in South Africa.
Imbued with a combination of inspiration, aspiration and innovation, the school is governed and guided by its learners’ needs.
Marketing manager Karen Meyer thanked the hotline for their visit.
“Keeping the individual strengths of each learner in mind, at New Hope school, we strive constantly as a collaborative team to achieve goals which are focused on the education and training of learners with cerebral palsy, permanent physical disabilities, metabolic disorders or syndromes, traumatic brain injuries as well as specific learning disabilities.
“The school complies with the worldwide quest to educate learners with different abilities to become equal members of society,” she said.
Meyer said that skills training becomes very important and it puts a big financial stress on the school.
“We need practical centres hospitality, woodwork, metal and plate work, nail and beauty and hair care.
“We believe we have a duty to unlock the strengths in every child, so they can achieve their best in all aspects of their lives.
“We are motivated to enable every learner to fulfil their potential – emotionally, spiritually, academically, creatively, physically and socially through a stimulating environment where teaching and learning go hand in hand with loving care,” said Meyer.
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