In the past week, Taiwanese have been posting selfies on Facebook with one hand covering their mouth. Their nails are painted. The initiator, Facebook group “Not speaking out does not mean it did not happen” (不發聲不代表沒發生), is gaining traction, with a Central News Agency report calling it the Taiwanese version of the MeToo movement.
The movement was prompted by reports about a New Taipei City Health Department worker surnamed Lin (林), who reportedly jumped from a building this month, leaving a lengthy note that accused her former employer at a care facility of sexual abuse.
The director, surnamed Liao (廖), and his wife have denied the allegations and the incident is still being investigated.
The details are murky and unfortunately only Liao and his wife remain alive to insist on their side of the story — that Liao was involved in an extramarital affair with Lin, who was not coerced into doing anything against her will. They have criticized Lin’s personal life and say they are the victims of a “lying homewrecker.”
This is reminiscent of the 2017 suicide of Lin Yi-han (林奕含), who in a fictional story described a cram school teacher who sexually assaults his students. Her real-life cram school teacher denied that the character in the story was based on him, although he said he had an extramarital affair with her.
Like Liao, the teacher and his family lamented to the media that “groundless allegations” had ruined their lives, despite no charges ever being filed.
Media attention and shame that accusers endure while cases are being investigated is often what stops people from reporting such incidents. That Lin from the health department took her life as she revealed the allegations speaks to this societal pressure.
“Pride is like a needle that sewed her mouth shut,” she wrote in the note.
A Liberty Times op-ed by legal commentary Web site Follaw stated: “Taiwanese society often heavily criticizes women who are sexually assaulted, which may be one reason why the victims are afraid of seeking help. Every time a woman is sexually assaulted, someone will say: ‘Women should know how to protect themselves. How can they let this happen to themselves?’ and so on.”
Perpetrators are often in a position of power, which makes it even harder to speak out, or even resist abuse.
Psychologist Ashley Chen (陳雪如) addressed this on Facebook, writing: “Your refusals are ignored, your boundaries are invaded, but everyone around you says that it is your fault, that you seduced your boss. You are in a very vulnerable position and in an environment that is controlled by the very person who is assaulting you.”
When the victim is too afraid to resist strongly, in a world where many still believe that “no means yes,” the perpetrator might actually believe that they are doing nothing wrong, Chen wrote. Even worse, the victims are often branded as homewreckers who willingly went along with the abuse and even formed a relationship with the perpetrator.
It is often shame, fear and self-doubt that leads the women to develop Stockholm syndrome to justify what they are enduring, she wrote. That is why these cases are often this murky, and public criticism does not help.
Hopefully, the “speaking out” movement is not just an immediate response to the suicides, but a serious call for people to pay attention to the problem, and for women to have the courage and support to stand out. It has been two years since the MeToo movement began and although it did have some effect in Taiwan, awareness still does not seem great enough.
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