In this episode, Yao Shuwen, director of the Social Affairs Bureau of the Taipei City Government, is invited to have an in-depth dialogue with Wei Xuan, from the methods of self-protection under digital sexual violence to the various channels that the government and the law can seek help for. Don't forget to remind you that the most important thing is your mentality, to always believe that you can be caught.
This summer, with the #MeToo movement in Taiwan in full swing and many gender issues on the surface, we see the repeated stereotypes and the events of the brave self-disclosure of the parties are just the tip of the iceberg. Under this wave, not only more people have discovered the existing myths of sexual violence and sexual harassment, but also awakened more people's attention to this issue, and more importantly, the government has accelerated the pace of reform.
This episode of "Talking to Xuan Xuan" invites Yao Shuwen, director of the Taipei City Social Affairs Bureau, who has been engaged in social work and gender movement for many years, and has a chivalrous personality since she was a child. Ask her, what should you do when you feel a sense of disappointment in the world despite all the efforts you have made, but unfair things still happen again and again? The director replied heroically, "Keep doing it, continue to create a more victim-friendly environment, even if you tell one person or let more people know through the media network, no one should bear these harms."
And if they are willing to stand up, we should all give him the best support.
Nude photo leaks, clandestine photo clubs: how to protect yourself in the face of digital sexual violence
Wei Xuan shared that she found a "candid photo club" on Facebook this year, which was full of leaked photos, and when she saw it, she tried her best to stop this situation, so she began to call on netizens to report it together on the community, and contacted Facebook to remove it. It's just that she also felt that many people were not optimistic, telling her that it was useless to do so, because there were too many similar clubs. So Wei Xuan couldn't help but want to ask, why in the face of injustice and injustice, everyone thinks that it is problematic, but they are unwilling to stand up and contribute together?
Mr Yiu believes that the issue of digital gender-based violence is definitely not new, and the pervasive nature of the Internet also allows these images to be rendered in a variety of ways, such as deep pseudo-technology, to directly change their faces: "Many people will think that I just borrowed your head, so why be nervous?" The Secretary corrected this misconception.
She said that there is no turning back in the digital age, and what we can do is not only to promote the right ideas as much as possible, but also to make the public more aware of how to protect themselves: "Nine out of ten couples may have taken intimate photos of each other, but none of them can tell me with confidence, 'He won't leak out', everyone will say, I will be worried, I will be afraid. 」
It's natural to want to leave a beautiful record, however, she reminds the digital age to think about how to keep it, including where you want to put it and who can see it. She offers three key points to give you ways to protect yourself:
- The most direct way to do this is to choose not to shoot
- If you really want to shoot, make sure you do it yourself
- If you do feel at risk, you should seek help immediately
You can decide for yourself, but make sure you know everything you need before you do that
After the start of the Taiwan #MeToo Movement, Mr. Yao observed that too many people had no way to turn to public representatives, and some people were reluctant to disclose their history, or even the movement was not an encouragement for some victims, but more pressure: "The more people come forward, the more incompetent and failed I am. 」
In social worker training, there is a very important point called "client self-determination", which means that you can decide for yourself how you want to deal with it or not, whether or not to go to legal action. However, there is a more important premise of "self-determination" of the client, which is that the client himself has a thorough understanding of all the information and the law, so he can make his own choice: "If you don't know anything, you just listen to what others say, and then accept it, so there is no basis for judgment at all." 」
"We are thinking, the country has a sex law, a sex equality law and a sexual harassment law, there are laws, there are systems, and they are not just launched, but why are there still many people who can't face it, or can't get out? Maybe they don't want to enter the system right away, they still need a little time to think about whether they can bear it. 」
Therefore, if you encounter sexual violence and sexual harassment, you can call 113, and the Taipei City Government has also set up a sexual harassment prevention and control service hotline 02-23911067. This hotline provides a more complete service, hoping to catch more victims, maybe through legal channels, or maybe they need counseling and companionship - this hotline allows them to have a safe and professional channel to know what they can do next.
Among the three laws of sexual equality, there is no time limit for complaints under the Sex Work Law and the Gender Equality Law, but there is a one-year appeal period for the Sexual Harassment Prevention Law. The good news that Director Yao also brought on the show is that this law has been amended, and from March 8, 2024, the time limit for appeals will be extended to three years, or even longer, depending on the structure!
There are also many victims of different genders who need to be seen
Although the data shows that 90% of the victims of sexual violence and sexual harassment are women, have you seen some victims of different genders who are easily overlooked?
Wei Xuan mentioned that to some extent, in this state of long-term structural inequality, in fact, each and every one of us is a victim. "A lot of men too, because he often doesn't know how to deal with it, and even in it, he has to adjust his role or have to pretend to be brave. The Director added.
Society's expectations for male roles made him have to arm himself in the end. Many times, they may not have the opportunity to turn to it at all.
In recent years, Director Yao believes that the prevention and advocacy of gender-based violence should actually respect everyone's choices, as well as the posture and attitude they want to live:
"You also have to remember that when you need help, you don't have to follow the #MeToo, you can just find someone you trust to talk to, or you can do nothing, but remember that there will be someone standing by your side, and you will not be left behind. 」
In the face of great social vision, and even pressure from relatives and friends, not everyone dares to stand up. But Director Yao also wanted to appeal in the program that if someone stands up so bravely today, regardless of gender, we should not fall into the trap at this time.
The gender movement is a force for the whole society, and as long as there is more force, they will have more support. Just like the director said, instead of being disappointed and suspicious, it is better to do something more quickly. Let the person in need know that when you reach out, there will be a lot of strength to catch you.