PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - A strong love of children and their well-being is what drives Helene Bezuidenhout, the founder of Bitou Victim Support.

Bezuidenhout started this NPO, that focuses on bringing comfort to child abuse victims that have been sexually exploited, in 2024.

Her mission is to give children protection and care and remove them from toxic environments. This is where Bitou Victim Support comes into play.

Bezuidenhout is personally and deeply involved. With her irrepressible drive, she guides victims through the traumatic processes and a maze of challenges - victim support, liaising with the SAPS FCS (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit), arranging counselling and support for victims' families, and supporting them throughout bail hearings, actual proceedings and sentencing.
 
This includes involving Child Welfare authorities and visiting schools. Bezuidenhout has been instrumental in establishing victim support rooms at the Plettenberg Bay and Kwanokuthula police stations.

My love for children, that is what drives me," she says. "I need to ensure that children, throughout Bitou, are cared for."

She was recently instrumental in helping a young boy and his family make a complete life change, including moving to a different home, replacing all their possessions and attending a different school. The boy, now 10, had been raped twice.

"It is heart-wrenching to see children go through the trauma of abuse and sexual depravation. To see a young victim finding comfort at a victim support room gives me a feeling that our community is doing the right thing."

Her dream?
To establish a safe house for victims of abuse and violence near central Plettenberg Bay, close to the courts and police stations. She is confident that this dream, like all the other projects she has tackled, will become a reality.

Contact her at: bitouvictimsupport@gmail.com.

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