Forty kilometres to empower rape survivor

The 40 kilometres Leilani Kuter, founder of Yellow for Survivors walked on August 7 were dedicated to Olivia Jasriel. Olivia is a former professional tennis player who was raped by disgraced Australian-born tennis coach, Bob Hewitt.

Leilani braced the chilly winter morning at 05:00 to walk 20 kilometres from Little Falls to the Cradle, and back. “The response has been really good. Olivia is also an activist and the whole Bob Hewitt story caught my attention because she was only 12 years old when it happened. I have done over 1 800 dedication walks and the whole idea is to let survivors know that someone is there for them.”

Olivia, who walked with Leilani, shared that walking the route for this specific cause years after her ordeal was indescribable. “When we reached the 12km mark – 12 marked the age I was when he raped me – I felt emotional but then suddenly there was meaning to the number 12. For that short moment I became that 12-year-old again, but I did not feel afraid or ashamed, instead I felt empowered and proud. I managed 18,6km of the 40km, which were 6,6km more than I thought I could do, considering the nuts and bolts I have in my spine. This is the result of a suicide attempt in 2010 because I suffered from depression following the abuse by Hewitt.”

The activist said she would strongly recommend walking to anyone who has suffered the emotional pain of sexual abuse or gender-based violence. “It is the single most empowering and uplifting experience. It’s like walking away from the past to the start of the future.”

Leilani said that she hopes her walks give survivors and victims of gender-based violence and sexual abuse the courage to start talking about their experiences. “This is something I take very seriously. Unfortunately, I can’t take away their pain but hopefully with my dedication walks, I give them courage to start talking about it.”

Contact Yellow for Survivors on 071 883 3346