#METOO interview with Ito: People shouldn't have only one way to understand sexual assault

Many studies have confirmed that when people or animals encounter extreme situations such as fright, danger or despair, the body goes into a frozen state, unable to obey the will, which is the biological nature of the protection mechanism. Not to mention that many survivors are subjected to sexual assault, opting to obey, not struggle, and avoid provoking the perpetrators to ensure maximum survival.

in an interview , Ito talked to us about the norms of Japanese law for sexual assault "victim": you have to scream while resisting, to inflict atrocities on the other side, the law may protect your right to pursue justice afterwards.

Not only the law, but also the society for the survivors of sexual assault, there is only one imagination: must appear to be miserable and weak, unable to speak properly, dress plain "safe". However, the survivor is alive, he/she is not a set of abstract "concept", no matter what he/she is like, he/she is the sexual assault survivor himself.

Ito remembers the day when he first opened a press conference, "one of my esteemed journalist friends told me," You should wear clothes like a black blazer, and people will be more likely to believe you! "Ito smiled and said," later I told him, no, I want to wear clothes that I can feel comfortable. 」

She decided to take the liberty as a consideration, wearing a white shirt, not buckle the first two buttons, showing the normal appearance. The decision led her to the worst public opinion attack in the whole incident. "You see, she's a slut!" She explained the judgment of the prevailing public opinion, haunted, paused to continue to speak, "This is also my decision not to button the reason, I am not reconciled to the sexual assault, there is only one way of understanding." 」

Read here, perhaps you will think that Ito character anti-bone. However, in her view, the social imagination of "security" methods, the norms of the victims have never prevented the perpetrators of sexual assault committed crimes, but continue to let sexual assault survivors trapped in the "dare not to say", or be attacked by public opinion.

In their own appearance, face to the world, but also enough to impact on society. "I never put my own private photos on the internet, but somehow, many people searched my friend's IG through various ways, found my photos, some of them found sexual assault two months later, I held a camera smile in the workplace, people said," You see, after two months of sexual assault, she actually can laugh at the camera, She must be lying! 』」

Gradually she found that it was not the question of buttons, or the ability to keep smiling at work, that any little thing or performance could testify to her lying prisoner. On the other hand, people have only a single imagination about the perpetrators, and anything that does not fit the imagination can be automatically proved innocent of the perpetrators.

"It is a part of a rape myth to think of what the victim or perpetrator should look like and how to behave, which is why I think I need to show up and speak to my face, voice and name." Because after the event, my life still has to go on, just like everyone else. 」

You must believe in your truth, you must believe in yourself

"But you know, first of all, you have to be able to survive. In our society to survive, you have to work, to have money to eat and live, if you decide to tell about sexual assault, you may lose your job, may suffer from public opinion attack, make it difficult to continue to survive. 」

"Everyone has their own way of living, and I can't direct others into a" traumatic survival method, "which is what I want to say to other survivors:" Please take your life as a priority and you can survive in your own way. " "I often tell other survivors that you know the pain best, that others can criticize your pain, or feel free to judge what is happening to you, but what happens to you most clearly, so the first thing is that you must believe in your truth, and you must believe in yourself. 」

And for me, my way of living is to tell the truth. "She said lightly.

Ito lowered his eyes and looked at his palms, "You know, in fact, in order to live through the difficult time, I rely on alcohol, sleeping pills and various drugs." "She said there was a slight increase in pitch," because we have to survive, of course, I know it's not a good idea, sexually assaulted survivors or people suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome), the best thing is not to rely on alcohol or drugs, but I did. 」

Survive and wait until you feel better before you can cross the next step. However, it will also require support from others to cross the next step. "It's hard to get help if the survivors don't say it safely, and it's hard to come out of the trauma." 」

Ito said she found this to be an influx of letters from the mailbox, "The letters come from many sexually assaulted survivors, what happened to them may have been 10 years or 20 years away, but because they have never received good support, the shadow continues to hurt and paralyze their daily lives." "She changed her tone," perhaps some people will feel that they keep silent, and did not cause damage to society, but I would like to say that this is a huge loss for the community. 」

She takes Lady Gaga, for example, as Lady Gaga, who has been so influential, and has endured for seven years, fighting PTSD every day, seven years later, to say that she had been sexually assaulted, and said in her visit that she still struggles to live every day.

"I am often asked, have you recovered?" I always answer with a smile, no, I try to survive every single day. "Ito wry smile, in the daily life Gap, that night event will still in the mind a flash, make her suddenly tears."

"Sexual assault is very implicit, unlike other acts of violence that cause significant trauma--such as broken bones, crooked noses, bleeding, and so on, but even if invisible to the naked eye, it does not mean that such injury does not exist, and that there is no denying the fact that the injury is there." Ito that sex is the basic human survival, harm a person's sex, easy to cause great harm, also have the strength to destroy dignity. "Sex is also used by many wars as a very effective weapon to destroy a person, a family, a community, and even a nation." 」

Actually, I don't have a lot of anger about Yamaguchi.

After the police report, Ito told her family, "I don't want them to know from a third party." On the other hand, I also want to tell my sister that I have happened such a thing, if the same thing happened to her, she can tell me, I can also according to the experience to tell her what to do. 」

"I was fortunate that my family never stopped me from doing anything, including going to court, or publishing a book. But my father was angry, he said, "How can you be so calm?" You're not angry enough, why aren't you angry? Why? "My mother was also very angry, and her reaction was," I'm going to kill that man! "I can only say that I did go through that stage, but what about being angry?" 」

Ito's family reacted emotionally, but never stopped her from doing anything, and in Japan, many families would prevent sexual assault survivors from reporting, "they will see this as an insult to the family." "Ito said. But she did not have the confidence to discuss with her family, "because they are so easily excited, I can understand, discuss this matter, it is too painful for them, too difficult." 」

It's possible to develop a support system by making the damage manifest.

Tell the truth, it's possible to hurt the survivors. For example, prosecutors told Ito from the start that if they decided to sue, you wouldn't have to be a journalist in Japan. Ito said, well, I'll work elsewhere, or be a freelance worker, "I can afford to lose my job, but I can't lose my faith." 」

Here, she smiled warmly, mentioning that during this period there are many great people around to support and accompany. Black Box is a book that relies heavily on a very good female friend to help. "Many of the recordings or documents at that time, I actually dared not open again, it was the friend who assisted me in transcription, this book is possible to complete." 」

On the other hand, Black Box's female editor is also under pressure, sexually invaded the cane of the Yamaguchi, also belong to the same publishing house heavyweight author, she must be careful to the other departments of secrecy, to the final stage of the book to "done" posture, so that the company can not refuse to publish. "The editor told me that the book must be written fast, because once the news leaks out, it is likely that the book will be pressured to go to market." 」

Ito said that her support was not just for female friends, but also for men. "I have to say that in this process, there are many English females and heroes in my life. In my case, for example, he was a horrible person at first, but after all he was a man, and finally he helped me a lot, and he did something even though it might threaten his job, but he still had to try not to prosecute. 」

This road, there is no way to walk alone. "I have a lot of friends to help, many people are risking losing their jobs to help, many people tell me," You know? I don't want to give up my personality, so I decided to do it! "Most of the time, I hurried to stop the other side:" No, you do not need to do so, let us think carefully about it! "This is the most beautiful thing I have experienced in the last three years. 」

I have faith in Japan to see the way that Taiwan's predecessors have traveled.

Today, Ito also hopes to create a safe and supportive environment for Japanese sexual assault survivors, "at least starting with changing the law, even if the surface is different from the heart, but at least from the observance of the rules, the Japanese at least pay attention to the surface, adhere to the rules." We also look forward to starting from the law to promote education, and gradually create an environment that can be said. 」

We ask her, are you optimistic about the future? She said, must be optimistic ah, and must change! "This is also where Japan should learn from Taiwan, and I have come to Taiwan this time to know that there are many groups, social workers and the media in Taiwan that support sexual assault." I know you think the situation is not perfect, but you know that Taiwan's legal and support system is relatively progressive in comparison with Japan. 」

Her eyes flashing light, "If you look back, you will find that Taiwan has gone a long way, Taiwan through the way, Japan can definitely reference, I know the situation can gradually improve, we can do it!" 」

Eventually, Ito still want to return to Japan, she is now back to Japan is no longer so afraid, and no longer disguised in hiding, not only because the partner's cover to make her feel warm, she also continued through the work to give care, feel that they still have a lot of energy. In recent days, her award-winning documentary in New York, with its theme of solitary death, still looks to Japan and explores how people lose touch and how they may step back and build connections.

"Recently I learned to fight boxing, not to attack, but to help me feel, I can master their own body." "She laughs, we have to find the strength to come back, exercise."

Re-link yourself with the body to connect people with care to form a healthy and supportive community. Not only sexual assault survivors, in the individual and individual gradually lost links and care of the society, how to heal the harm, how to support themselves and support others, this is the work of Masaki Ito, visit here, I know this is not only the subject of sexual assault survivors, here has not divided us with them, This is something that everyone should work together with each other.