JayAtl
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YET ANOTHER STUDENT , POSTED ON YAHOO , 30 days ago!
I was Raped in China (An American's Perspective)
Surviving in a Culture that Considers Rape a Women's Fault
When I first arrived in China as a study abroad student in the summer of 2008, everything was perfect: the people were welcoming, the food was delicious, and the culture was rich and vibrant. I spent my time learning Mandarin characters, holding discussions with local students, and enjoying the beaches of Qingdao. Quickly, I also found that the night life was dynamic. By the time the halfway point of summer rolled around, my classmates and I were attending Karaoke followed by a nightclub every weekend. We always tried to congregate as a group at the beginning of the night, but a few too many drinks would leave us alone in a sea of Chinese men. The night that will forever be etched in my memory began innocently, but then turned violent. A Chinese man offered to buy me drinks and then, without warning, drug me to the alley behind the nightclub (Chinese nightclubs are always extremely crowded, so I believe that either no one noticed or no one wanted to notice). His apartment was conveniently located behind the bar, so I didn't have much time to break free before he laid me on the bed and raped me. After the event, I was only able to escape because he forgot to lock me in when he went to use the bathroom. This incident left me lonely and depressed for many years, but it also left me empowered to spread the message as to what it's like to be sexually assaulted as a woman in a foreign country.
The Woman Bears the Responsibility
Traditional Chinese culture holds that the woman bears the responsibility for the act of rape. Linda Wong, Executive Director of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women in Hong Kong, said, "A woman may be viewed that she should be responsible for being raped because she aspired to date or go to a man's premises; or that she took the risk of being raped as she went out alone late at night or drank alcohol; or that she enticed others to rape her with her behavior or dressing." Drinking alcohol is where I went wrong. The nurse at the hospital told me the rape was my fault because I was a "sexually-free Western woman." Additionally, any woman who drinks is just asking to be raped because they are lowering their inhibitions. Sadly, many Americans hold this viewpoint as well. The nurses didn't offer me a "rape kit" or any support because I put myself in this position. I was only offered my instructor as a translator. One person even told me that I would be the one prosecuted for a crime if I made the crime known to public officials.
Taboo in China
The whole experience made me aware of the challenges that a Chinese woman must face if raped. After insisting that I go to a hospital to be checked for STDs, the doctor led me to the Dermatology Department. Later, I found out that the hospital had no "official" Gynecology department because health problems in that area of the body were not considered "proper." A story I heard later struck me. Rape is considered so taboo in Chinese culture that rape victims' were shunned and not even allowed to wash their clothes with other members of the family.
No One to Turn To
After being a victim of sexual abuse, you are bound to have a rollercoaster of emotions. In the United States, we have rape crisis centers and counselors. In China, there is simply nowhere to go. Beijing, with more than 20 million people, has only one sexual assault hot line that supposedly operates four nights a week. This center is fighting for its' life with governmental pressure to close. I was offered no assistance or help finding assistance by the hospital. Furthermore, the people who were hired to support me (the nurses and doctors) tried to convince me the whole situation was my fault. Needless to say, I was in a rocky place when I finally set foot on American territory.
Because Chinese culture views the rape perpetrator as the victim, I was given little support after a major trauma. Understandably, I isolated and further dug my teeth into the party culture. The reality is, however, that I was the victim. And so are the millions of women and men who are sexually assaulted in traditionalist cultures every day. We may not be able to change the culture, but we can encourage others to provide better safeguards to their loved ones when traveling abroad. We can also do our part to support policies that have equality entrenched in them at home and abroad. Small steps matter to the victim who feels lost and alone.
http://voices.**********/i-was-raped-china-americans-perspective-12231018.html **** = Y A H O O .com
I was Raped in China (An American's Perspective)
Surviving in a Culture that Considers Rape a Women's Fault
When I first arrived in China as a study abroad student in the summer of 2008, everything was perfect: the people were welcoming, the food was delicious, and the culture was rich and vibrant. I spent my time learning Mandarin characters, holding discussions with local students, and enjoying the beaches of Qingdao. Quickly, I also found that the night life was dynamic. By the time the halfway point of summer rolled around, my classmates and I were attending Karaoke followed by a nightclub every weekend. We always tried to congregate as a group at the beginning of the night, but a few too many drinks would leave us alone in a sea of Chinese men. The night that will forever be etched in my memory began innocently, but then turned violent. A Chinese man offered to buy me drinks and then, without warning, drug me to the alley behind the nightclub (Chinese nightclubs are always extremely crowded, so I believe that either no one noticed or no one wanted to notice). His apartment was conveniently located behind the bar, so I didn't have much time to break free before he laid me on the bed and raped me. After the event, I was only able to escape because he forgot to lock me in when he went to use the bathroom. This incident left me lonely and depressed for many years, but it also left me empowered to spread the message as to what it's like to be sexually assaulted as a woman in a foreign country.
The Woman Bears the Responsibility
Traditional Chinese culture holds that the woman bears the responsibility for the act of rape. Linda Wong, Executive Director of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women in Hong Kong, said, "A woman may be viewed that she should be responsible for being raped because she aspired to date or go to a man's premises; or that she took the risk of being raped as she went out alone late at night or drank alcohol; or that she enticed others to rape her with her behavior or dressing." Drinking alcohol is where I went wrong. The nurse at the hospital told me the rape was my fault because I was a "sexually-free Western woman." Additionally, any woman who drinks is just asking to be raped because they are lowering their inhibitions. Sadly, many Americans hold this viewpoint as well. The nurses didn't offer me a "rape kit" or any support because I put myself in this position. I was only offered my instructor as a translator. One person even told me that I would be the one prosecuted for a crime if I made the crime known to public officials.
Taboo in China
The whole experience made me aware of the challenges that a Chinese woman must face if raped. After insisting that I go to a hospital to be checked for STDs, the doctor led me to the Dermatology Department. Later, I found out that the hospital had no "official" Gynecology department because health problems in that area of the body were not considered "proper." A story I heard later struck me. Rape is considered so taboo in Chinese culture that rape victims' were shunned and not even allowed to wash their clothes with other members of the family.
No One to Turn To
After being a victim of sexual abuse, you are bound to have a rollercoaster of emotions. In the United States, we have rape crisis centers and counselors. In China, there is simply nowhere to go. Beijing, with more than 20 million people, has only one sexual assault hot line that supposedly operates four nights a week. This center is fighting for its' life with governmental pressure to close. I was offered no assistance or help finding assistance by the hospital. Furthermore, the people who were hired to support me (the nurses and doctors) tried to convince me the whole situation was my fault. Needless to say, I was in a rocky place when I finally set foot on American territory.
Because Chinese culture views the rape perpetrator as the victim, I was given little support after a major trauma. Understandably, I isolated and further dug my teeth into the party culture. The reality is, however, that I was the victim. And so are the millions of women and men who are sexually assaulted in traditionalist cultures every day. We may not be able to change the culture, but we can encourage others to provide better safeguards to their loved ones when traveling abroad. We can also do our part to support policies that have equality entrenched in them at home and abroad. Small steps matter to the victim who feels lost and alone.
http://voices.**********/i-was-raped-china-americans-perspective-12231018.html **** = Y A H O O .com
. 
noooooooo
