Taiwan #MeToo Truth: 61% of the public still believe that victims of sexual assault are responsible

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Silent Taiwan #MeToo: Have we ever "become a new person" from now on?

In 2017, a novel "Fang Siqi's First Love Paradise" shocked Taiwan that there was an evil called "power sexual assault" in the world. The author Lin Yihan once said that if he can become a newcomer, "I want to be a person who has more imagination about the pain of others." (Extended reading: My pain cannot be reconciled Interview with Lin Yihan: "What has been inserted will not be pulled out")

And Taiwan's #MeToo movement, did it do it?

Let's look at the survey data from the Modern Women's Foundation: a questionnaire published in 2018 collected 1072 valid questionnaires. As a result, 65% of the people still believe that if girls dress very spicy, go in and out of nightclubs, and behave openly, they should bear the possibility of being sexually assaulted. while 61% of the public believe that victims of sexual assault should be held responsible for themselves to some extent.

Fan Guoyong, CEO of the Modern Women's Foundation, said: "Just like "The Distance Between Us and Evil", the experience of sexual assault is actually very complex. If Taiwan is still the result of direct criticism of the victim and the perpetrator, the society is such an atmosphere, and the victim does not dare to ask for help.

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Therefore, the Modern Women's Foundation held a press conference today on "Only Yes Means Yes", inviting a number of artists, the Taipei Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center, and Women's Fan CEO Wei Xuan to talk about why "only yes means yes" is necessary from the perspective of sexual assault myths, women's experiences, and men's experiences.

Zhang Weixuan, CEO of Women's Fans: Three numbers break the myth of sexual assault

Wei Xuan also shared the experience of female fans at the scene: "In 2014, we launched the 'Face Up to Sexual Assault Anonymous Message Board', hoping to provide a space for victims of violence to anonymously narrate their trauma." Why do this?

"Because we found that when many victims of sexual assault tried to enter the public sector, they found that the procedural threshold was very high."

Many victims are afraid to call the police because they will be repeatedly questioned and questioned "why don't you resist". This invisibly causes them second-degree harm and reduces their willingness to report. "This is where the public sector needs to improve. At least online, we are working with social workers from the Modern Women's Foundation to provide support and companionship to take the first step." (Extended reading: After "Fang Siqi's First Love Paradise", face up to sexual assault, ten things you need to know)

She pointed out, "I would like to share with you three numbers today. In the Face Up Sexual Assault message board, more than 550 sexual assault experiences have been accumulated. The data shows that 67% of the commenters are minors or describe their experiences of violence as minors. Most of them are also predominantly female. This actually highlights our lack of physical education."

Many people don't know what happened to them and just grow up like this. And these hidden things made us realize many years later that what we experienced back then was called sexual assault.

Wei Xuan said: "We often ask the victim, why did you still be friends with him after the incident? That's actually because we don't have a chance to know that this is sexual assault."

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"The second figure, two-thirds of sexual assaults occur in familiar settings, such as homes, schools. This also breaks the myth that victims of sexual assault happen outside and are unfamiliar. Sexual assault can happen anywhere."

"The third number is also the survey data of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Very amazing. On average, one in two people has experienced gender-based violence. That is, all of you here may be victims of violence. This includes verbal harassment, physical movements, and sexual assault."

These three numbers highlight that our understanding of sexual assault in the past is likely to be wrong. Therefore, when these "atypical" stories are told, what we need to do is to replace criticism with support, and replace criticism with companionship. (Extended reading: Interview with He Shining: #MeToo No matter how long the incident has occurred, the victim is qualified to speak out of pain)

We want more people to know that your body is important. We must say, only yes means yes. If there is such education, when different people want to get along, we will also understand better how to keep the boundaries.

More stories and language are needed to describe the experience rather than blame the details

And to say that there is really no change at all? Maybe there is, but not enough.

Yu Shanjin, head of the sexual assault prevention team at the Taipei Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center, also said: "We have found that the number of sexual assault reports has actually increased. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it means that the number of blacks may decrease. The increase in quantity is actually a good change for us."

Because of these #MeToo atmospheres, people will gradually know that when we encounter relevant events, we can really stand up, there will be people who will catch us, so that we can look back on our personal experiences, we can sort out our language, and all aspects of this society are indeed building a broader network to catch everyone who falls.

We need more stories and language to describe these experiences, not just blame every detail for why you didn't take action. Let diverse stories gradually grow strength, give birth to vocabulary, and let everyone be well undertaken.