Susanna van Tonder takes the helm at Luxembourg's Centre for Equal Treatment

They provide information and guidance to individuals who believe they have faced discrimination, investigate complaints, offer mediation services, and raise awareness about discrimination issues.

Through its work, the CET plays a crucial role in advocating for equality and influencing policies to improve anti-discrimination laws and practices in Luxembourg.

Susanna van Tonder is the new chairwoman of the Centre for Equal Treatment. Only two days after she entered into the position, she met with RTL Today for an interview. She feels motivated and excited. Simply amazing, as she states it. When she heard about the CET in 2018, it seemed an impossible dream to achieve. Last year when she saw the vacancy – she said why not.

RTL Today: Could you please tell us about your background, how you got involved in this mission and your path to becoming the new chairwoman?

Susanna van Tonder: Let's go back to 2015; I had an epileptic seizure during a blind date. That is when I got into the hospital, and I was very lucky because there was a nurse that specialised in epileptic seizures. I consider this a lucky day because normally I would have been on the train at that time.

I got all these tests and this is when the multiple sclerosis diagnosis first came into play and it was confirmed a year later. This opened my vision towards injustices, discrimination and inequality. You don't really see it until it affects you. I was 28. That's when I got involved with the European MS platform. I was one of 120 young people with MS who were taught more about the community.

Then I got involved with the MS society in Luxembourg of which I am now the Vice President. 2019 I started at the Higher Council of People with Disabilities, of which I am still a member. I have also been selected to be the Luxembourg representative of the EU Commission campaign around disability, meaning that I am Luxembourg's champion for that initiative. It's amazing really.

I was born in South Africa and have been in Luxembourg since I was seven years old ... My educational background is social science, management and behavioural science and organisational psychology. I studied drama for a year, which taught me a lot but I had to give it up due to the physical toll MS took. I like to say I am a one-size-fits-all person and my experience and education really make me perfect for the role.

What can we expect to see in terms of initiatives, what is the main focus of your mandate?

I am going to start working on top of what the previous boards have done. What has been implemented will have to be carried on. Being so involved in the disability field, I often review the laws and try to see where there are gaps. This always takes time to update, change takes time. We have come quite far and I am happy to see the direction society is going in, but there is still a lot of inequality. I believe we are working towards a path of more social justice. 100 years ago people like me would have not been allowed to walk on the street, they would have tried to hide us.

What inspires you day-to-day, what does success look like for you?

This is not my full-time job. I work at the employment agency as a counsellor. This role is part of my life's purpose like many other things I do. If I see more people reporting, I would consider this a success. It is quite daunting to report inequality and it often fizzles out. Luxembourg is pretty small, everyone knows everyone and of course employment is on the line. Another good thing is that if we, at the CET, see injustice ourselves, we can also react and would not need to wait for a whistleblower.

Your mandate as chairwoman falls on the 20th anniversary of the CET. Does your board have specific plans to commemorate this milestone?

Not yet, that is still something for the future, but I can definitely imagine we will commemorate the anniversary. What I am grateful for is that I am the first female leader of the CET. That is actually amazing and I am sure it will contribute to what we already do in our work.

The Luxembourgish community is very diverse and continues to grow in this way. It is more difficult to seek the support you need when you are in a foreign country, especially if you have recently arrived. How are you planning to promote the services and support that CET offers in a way that is accessible to everyone in Luxembourg?

What I really like about Luxembourg is its diversity. I myself come from a non-Luxembourgish background so it is quite nice to be in the role that I am today. I believe when you come to a new place, language is one of the key aspects. I am happy that English is very common here. We have a large Portuguese community, so I hope we can work in that direction further. Our website is in all the official languages and in English. In time, also depending on our budget, I hope to include more languages. The language barrier plays a big role in being able to report inequality. I want my team to also represent the diverse society of Luxembourg.

Youth engagement and reducing isolation are big parts of your mission. People learn about different conditions and what life is like living with them, either when they are personally affected or when someone who is close to them is. Do you think that through the CET it is possible to teach young people, kids, about life with disabilities and how to include friends who are affected by it without making them feel different or isolated?

If we want to challenge unconscious biases, we need to talk about it. I don't believe in doing a witch-hunt, it's not my style. I am somebody who debates. Particularly young people are eager to learn and are open minded. What I do believe is that since society is changing, so does the way of speaking, as for instance with the different pronouns. The CET needs to proactively raise awareness.

You have been very active in patient activism. Where do you see the most room for improvement and how do you plan to contribute to it during your mandate?

That is something that I can even speak about from my own personal experience. The issue with inequalities in healthcare is often related to one's gender. Not long ago if you as a young woman had a voice ... you could have been declared hysterical. For me personally it was hard to find adequate care. The most prominent example is a heart attack, which in women is often mistaken for anxiety and takes longer to diagnose.

This is not your first time contributing to RTL. In a quote from a piece you submitted during Covid you said that "presenteeism is but the result of practicalities and formalities, which consequently just limits our productivity and our development at work. We want to work and we want to contribute. Let us." In this quote and in the piece, one can perceive three things: There is a need for change, a call for action and a positive outlook. Would you say that these are the things that will lead your work in the next years?

Yes, definitely! It is actually nice to hear my own words. I am somebody who is very hands on, I do have a lot of hope and do think we can accelerate change. By being present and by being a positive example, we can get people to believe in the cause and join the movement.