For two days everyone was captivated by the disappearance of the multiply disabled Hebe Zwart (10) from Vught and her supervisor Sanne Bos (26) from Nuenen. Not only in Brabant, but throughout the country, people sympathized. Peter Achterberg, sociologist at Tilburg University, looks back on this period; “The whole country was in an uproar.”
Sociologist Peter Achterberg has an idea why the disappearance of Sanne and Hebe affected so many people. “It involved a child and a young woman. Many people have the feeling that you have to protect children in this hostile world. If something happens to a child, a powerless feeling arises throughout society: what should we do? “People want to do everything they can to ensure that they are found again.”
“The mystery made people fascinated by the case.”
That powerless feeling caused people to sympathize en masse. Achterberg explains: “In the beginning it was not clear what was going on. Would it be an accident or a crime? Because of the mystery, people became fascinated by the case.”
There was a lot of attention on radio, TV and social media about the disappearance of Sanne and Hebe. That caused many people to sympathize. “People were concerned and they got so much information about the case that they felt involved and really wanted to do something.”
Hundreds of people helped in the search. Sanne and Hebe were missing for two days. But for many people that period felt much longer. “That is also because a child was involved,” Achterberg explains. “You don’t know what can happen in two days.”
“People felt involved and wanted to do something.”
Ultimately, Sanne and Hebe were found dead after two days in the water at the Empel junction near Den Bosch. It turned out they had had an accident. In the following days, drawings, flowers and cuddly toys were placed at a memorial site in Vught. It grew into an impressive sea of flowers.
Achterberg explains: “People felt involved and wanted to do something, show support. Once you have become involved in a social issue, in this case the disappearance, you also want to show that it has affected you. You often see that During these types of shocking events, people huddle together and support each other. As recently as the shooting in Rotterdam.”
“In this disappearance you saw that people still care about others.”
The massive involvement during the disappearance and the compassion after Sanne and Hebe were found also shows something beautiful, Achterberg believes. “It is often said that we live in an individualistic society, in which no one cares about anyone else anymore. But here you see that that is not the case at all. Many people still have a connection with society. They want to support each other and make concerned about the well-being of others.”
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