Woman jumps off Soweto towers for a good cause
"I was fed up - fed up with our justice system, our courts that recognise this type of abuse but no one is doing anything about."
Caitlin Roper and seven of her friends and family took a 100m leap from the Soweto Towers on Sunday afternoon.
The daring stunt was an effort to raise awareness for narcissistic abuse. World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day is an international movement that occurs on the 1st of June around the world every year.
The movement seeks to educate, inform as well offer support to those who have been victims of narcissistic abuse.
Caitlin Roper, a victim herself, said she was inspired by the worldwide movement.
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“It was a random thought that just came out to me when I was fed up – fed up with our justice system, our courts that recognise this type of abuse but no one is doing anything about,” she said.
Roper also has an extreme fear for heights and that’s why she chose the iconic towers.
“Besides losing my son, I’d say heights are my worst fear – my biggest fear, so I decided you know what, I’m going to jump off the Soweto Towers,” added Roper.
Much to many’s surprise, she wore a sparkling white wedding dress for her jump. On the choice of attire, Roper said the wedding dress represented her liberation.
“I decided on the dress because that (wedding) dress is supposed to represent your fairy-tale. But then it doesn’t happen like that. It becomes a web of lies and manipulation. Then it’s hard to get out of it because this person has made you so dependent on them, So for me, this is a bit like a liberation,” she explained.
Roper was not alone in her campaign. Liane Kenney, Arlene Ferreira, Bradwin Roper, Jenifer Krug, Cejay Coleman, Pia Rab and Dene Levinson all decided to take the 100m leap as well in support of World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day.
Ferreira, a close friend of Roper and founder of a victims support group called StraightTalk, said most people struggle to get support because not enough is known about this form of abuse.
“It’s something that I’ve been through myself. I was married to a narcissist for 11 years and was abused in every way you can think of. When I finally got out, I struggled to get help because most people didn’t understand what was happening. I also realised that many people had gone through something similar- and now we all have a group where we support each there,” she said.
Roper said she hoped her jump would inspire others to face their fears and to seek support from family and friends.
Here are some signs that you may be with a narcissistic: (source: wnaad.com)
-They have a sense of entitlement
-They give backhanded compliments
-They lack empathy
-They are highly sensitive to criticism
-They have a “my way or the highway” attitude
