#OneInSeven
1 in 7 women in Hong Kong has experienced sexual violence.
Behind the numbers are stories of blood and tears. Through the object provided by each sexual violence survivor, we can have a glimpse of their experiences, feelings and memories.
While you are reading the stories, please feel free to have thought on how you would like to respond. By doing so, you can enrich the value of each object. Let the survivors feel connected and supported by building a community that heals and fights for justice together. Hope, courage and empathy don't just exist within the exhibition. They can be shared across online and offline spaces.
This complaint letter contains the legacies, pain and mental distress brought by the sexual violence I have experienced. It contains fear, anxiety, anger, powerlessness, helplessness, guilt and exhaustion, and the hardship and secondary victimisation during the complaint procedure.
The bracelet once symbolised the relationship, the trust and the respect between me and him. However, when sexual violence happened and he became the perpetrator, both the trust we built and our relationship were damaged – just like this broken bracelet.
It was a present given by my ex-boyfriend on my 18th birthday. That relationship was a turning point on how I face my experience of sexual violence.
I brought myself to face this incident after receiving counselling – especially when the photo has made it even more real. I saw a wounded self. I can hardly bear it now as an adult, and it was for sure even harder when I was a kid.
A birthday cake should be colourful. However to me, it is just black and white. It symbolises an insult.
This is the school uniform dress I wore when I was in Primary Six. A dress that I secretly stitched after my mother destroyed it. This dress tells a story of myself, who grew up in a family of which the adults were clueless about how to take care of their children.'
I named the bag "survival kit" after coming to RainLily. I find this name accurate, as my eagerness to survive was so strong and I really wanted to protect myself. Although it was named "survival kit", the stuff inside was actually useless. But to me in the past, they were all very precious.
What happened had brought me physical and mental harm. I still cannot touch this instrument after ten years.
Under the teddy bear’s cute appearance, the inner part was hollow and torn apart. A past that was not being trusted, full of anger and wounds, and a sense of emptiness.
I got this ring from my ex-boyfriend, whom I knew when I was studying abroad. It carries 10% of touching moments, but 90% of thrilling memories.
I chose this picture because the image I remembered was unforgettable. This was also the first time I recorded the incident and my feelings with a picture. As I drew the picture, I realised that I could no longer deceive myself and said that I had recovered. I had to face the pain that I was experiencing. I decided to share this picture with you, hoping that this could give you the courage to face the wound and pain you have had.
1 in 7 women in Hong Kong
has experienced sexual violence in their lifetime
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