Kholofelo Mantloana, a former victim of bullying, has chosen Youth Month to launch a campaign ‘Breaking Free’ that aims to reach out and empower young people who are been bullied socially and at institutions of learning.
Mantloana (19) an Accounting student at Tshwane University of Technology’s Polokwane Campus said she started the campaign after she had been bullied for many years at high school and social gatherings but could not break the silence. “I was overweight when growing up so my peers would tease about my weight and I was hurt. Being overweight is problematic in society because you are treated like an outcast. Some would pick fights with me for no reason and it killed me inside because I could not tell anyone, not even my parents at the time. By the time I decided to speak out the damage had already been done.
“With ‘Breaking Free’ we want to reach out to young people who are bullied to come out and talk about bullying because it is rife and it must be dealt with. We want to share this kind of problems because bullying is a form of emotional abuse and that not everyone is strong enough to deal with,” Mantloana said.
Anti-bullying week will be commemorated from 20 to 25 June. Mantloana will visit Mitchell House Preparatory School and College on 22 June to address learners about this social ill.
“I will be visiting other schools as well and I am hoping that bullied learners will come out and talk,” Mantloana said.
Story: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert@mailbox.co.za
Photo: Kholofelo Mantloana, founder of ‘Breaking Free’, an anti-bullying campaign.
