Suffering sexual violence and hiding in a dark corner? These social resources will lead you to gradually heal yourself and move towards warmth and light.

As the #Metoo storm continues, you who have encountered and watched similar events must be very uncomfortable. It is brave to be willing to stand up and expose injustice and make accusations, but this action also represents a determination to open one's own scars. At this moment, you may be struggling in pain.

What we want to tell you is that if you are a survivor of sexual violence, the options for dealing with past trauma are more diverse and expansive than you think. Here, you will read about the different methods, and I hope you understand that it is up to you to decide whether to say it or not, and to whom you disclose it.


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Write before action

You don't need to have flawless "qualifications" before you can ask for help. After experiencing sexual violence, you may hear comments that make you think back to what you did wrong. These critiques range from dressing, behavior, and decisions made in human interaction.

But no matter how long it takes, how it started, or what caused you to happen, it's true that you've been hurt or violated because you've been mistreated, and it's never too late to start the journey of self-healing.

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Social resources and civil society organizations

When it comes to sexual violence, many people think directly of social welfare organizations and the support of social workers.

Indeed, it is the profession of social workers to integrate resources, who can provide a convenient one-stop service, conduct initial assessments and provide advice, and even match and refer cases to appropriate agencies. To find them, you can call the social bureau of the county and city government, the home defense center, or use the online window or e-mail address of the government or non-governmental organization for help.

If sexual violence leads you to suicidal intentions, self-harm, or other physical or mental emergencies, it is important to assess the situation and seek timely medical attention to the physical and mental emergency department. If the physical and mental symptoms caused by sexual violence require a physical and mental clinic, you can seek help from a specialized medical center for the treatment of sexual assault, the list of which can be accessed from the website of the health unit of each county or city.

If you need to talk in the early morning or late at night, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's peace of mind hotline provides 24-hour telephone consultation.

These bodies may also be consulted for advice when evidence needs to be gathered and legal action is required. For example, the Modern Women's Foundation specializes in providing individual legal advice on sexual harassment incidents, and the National Federation of Taiwanese Women's Groups has recently set up a lawyers' support group to help respond to legal threats against perpetrators against defamation and reputation. The Women's Rescue Foundation and Lixin Foundation also provide social and political resource compilation, psychological assessment and referral for incidents such as intimate relationship violence and digital sexual exploitation.

Cardiac assistance and medical resources: counseling and treatment

If you have lodged a complaint with the school or company, or even taken legal action, it will usually include counseling or further physical and mental treatment after the grievance process is completed or the verdict is decided; Even if you seek consultation or medical assistance yourself, you can keep the interview and medical receipts, and you may have the opportunity to be included in the scope of civil compensation.

If you don't plan to file a complaint, or if you still need support after the administrative justice process is over, you can still find resources on your own, find a trusted counselor or doctor, and use their expertise to accompany you through this most difficult time.

Generally speaking, counseling offices run by psychologists are priced on an hourly basis and have a higher unit price. Some enterprises provide internal consultation services, and schools, county and city governments also provide some psychological consultation resources, such as school psychological support centers, community mental health clinics, hospital psychiatric referral consultations, etc., usually free or only need to pay the basic registration fee and consultation fee, the disadvantage is that there may be a limit on the number of consultations.

In terms of non-governmental organizations, Lixin Foundation's Dandelion Counseling Center has been established for a long time, providing a professional team of counseling psychologists in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung, including partner counseling, group therapy, play therapy, etc., to help victims of sexual violence through the road of trauma recovery in various forms.

In addition, such as the Modern Women's Foundation and the Women's New Knowledge Foundation, they integrate many resources for informance, advocacy, self-growth and restoration, and employ trained and experienced personnel to provide appropriate counseling and companionship.


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Those who consult should pay attention to big and small things

For you who are physically and mentally exhausted, it is uncomfortable to ask for help from someone you know, and you are worried that your experience will be randomly spread in your circle of relatives and friends, but you can't find someone you can trust to talk to. At this time, counseling and physical and mental medicine are one of the ways to help you embark on the journey of healing.

Professionals in support units and medical institutions are trained not to disclose the privacy of individual cases/patients to third parties unless it is necessary and urgent, so there is no need to worry about personal information being disclosed, and they can disclose and confide in them with relative confidence.

In addition, consultation can focus on specific events and specific themes than chatting and talking, and the goal is to explore problems in depth and relieve problems, so there is a better opportunity to learn to examine past experiences and focus on one's own emotional feelings through guidance.

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When choosing counseling resources, you can pay attention to the psychologist's background and area of expertise, such as work experience on campus or in the hospital, whether he or she has handled gender-related cases, etc. Before entering a counseling institution or a mind-body institute, you can also fill in the scales (web versions such as "Tung Depression Scale", "Mood Thermometer", etc.) or collect traces of your recent mood records to help yourself and the doctor/counselor better understand your status.

Whether you ask for help or not, remember to give yourself "space for slow progress" and "the right to stop at any time". The experience of victims of sexual violence often has a very big impact, and while an open and open attitude can greatly help the consultation process, you don't have to force yourself to speak up when you don't want to say it.

The personality and style of the counselor, as well as the way the mind and body treatment is arranged, may not be suitable for you, so it is important to clearly express your feelings and needs.

The skills of digesting mood and combing the ideal method are not overnight. With practice slowly, you'll be able to better understand the impact of these bad things on yourself and start planning your actions.

I have filed a complaint/lawsuit but still feel bad

Deciding to appeal or file a complaint means that you are willing to summon up the courage to find justice, so that the perpetrator can receive the punishment and correction he deserves, and prevent similar incidents from happening again. If you have legally recognized evidence and are ready to cooperate with the prosecution and the court period, you can appeal to the workplace or school, the police or the social bureau, depending on the occasion and target of the incident, and you can also file separate criminal proceedings and civil claims.

Before seeking help, you can pay more attention to whether there are monitors, video recorders, driving recorders and other equipment at the scene of the incident, first keep the files for future evidence, at the same time, confirm whether there are witnesses who heard or saw the incident, and keep records of calls and messages with the perpetrator. In addition, you can practice recalling the incident and recording the ins and outs first, which will be more helpful to recount the experience during the investigation.

It is important to note that the judicial and administrative processes within the system often take a long time, and there are many links that require survivors' narratives and responses. Before entering the trial procedure and being in the middle of the procedure, it is not only necessary to actively collect and present evidence, but also to be mentally prepared to recall and recount the incident.

Consulting professionals or checking online in advance to understand the process and the time required can reduce the anxiety caused by strangeness and make it easier to claim the rights in a timely manner. If at any moment you find yourself feeling uncomfortable, upset, or not ready to reveal, you can reasonably request a suspension or termination.


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Administrative and judicial processes, what you need to know

1. It is the employer's responsibility to set up a recourse channel for sexual harassment in the workplace

Sexual harassment in the workplace is considered to be sexual harassment in the workplace, and the Gender Equality at Work Act applies to the Sex at Work Act if the person is offended by sexual dignity by a sexual offending to sexual expression or actions related to sexual remarks, or by an employer in exchange for promotion, performance appraisal, reward and punishment. Employers are obliged to set up grievance channels and to deal with them confidentially after notification (e.g. set up a grievance committee).

If the investigation is true, the employer shall punish or deal with the perpetrator. If the employer does not deal with it properly, he can complain to the Labour Bureau. If this is true, the competent authority may issue a fine to the employer.

2. Does the harassment occur between students and teachers? The school sex club may be able to help

If sexual harassment is carried out by one party of the student and the other by the teaching staff, the Gender Equality Education Act applies and can be notified to the school office (usually the Office of Academic Affairs). After the school decides to accept it, it will be handed over to the Gender Equality Education Committee for investigation and hearing, and if it is not satisfied with the result, it can file a reply; If you are not satisfied with the school's handling methods, you can seek help from the Education Bureau.

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3. The Law on the Prevention and Control of Sexual Harassment protects victims of sexual harassment in the workplace and outside the school

If you encounter sexual harassment outside, you may file an administrative complaint with the unit to which the perpetrator belongs or the police organ. If the perpetrator is the highest person in charge of the unit to which he belongs, it is submitted to the Social Bureau or the Home Defense Center. After acceptance, we will conduct an anonymous investigation and hearing, so there is no need to worry about the leakage of personal information. According to the process, the investigation will be completed within two months, and there will be an opportunity to appeal against the outcome.

4. It's the other person's fault, why is it me who runs back and forth and suffers the inconvenience?

If you do not want to see the perpetrator while the verdict is in progress, you may file a written pleadings to apply for isolation interrogation. In general, police and judicial units must minimize the inconvenience and suffering caused by victims going back and forth and repeating their cases. So, if there is a better way for you, try to come up with it in the process.

If the other party asks for reconciliation, it is usually recommended to request mediation from the Home Defense Center and the Social Affairs Bureau, which will be more secure. The content of mediation can include compensation, apology, restoration of reputation, etc., there are many ways to deal with it, and what form of justice you want to get can also be discussed with lawyers and pre-trial judges.

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After the storm

Whatever the action or outcome, taking steps to ask for help is the first step toward moving forward with pain and becoming stronger. In the process, there will be many painful, upset, and hesitant moments, but at the same time, you can also feel the friendliness, seriousness and admiration of the people who are willing to help in life, the visionary organization. You are not alone on this road.

After the initial dust has settled, remember to thank yourself first. For those of you who choose not to say it, thank you for choosing to hide your mood and endure for the sake of harmony in the relationship, protection of reputation or other major considerations. When you choose to expose, denounce, and disclose your passing, you are thanking yourself for a major contribution to your own life and society, and thank yourself for not leaving it at that. It was you who stood up and let everyone know that this matter needs to be taken seriously.

(Signing: Don't let Da Ya be alone, let's sign together!) |Zhang Weixuan Xingpen)