S.H.E.’s Ella Confesses She Was Sexually Abused by Neighbor

In a shocking confession, S.H.E.‘s Ella Chen (陳嘉樺) revealed that she was sexually abused as a young child by a neighbor. Both of her two sisters were also victims of the same perpetrator.

Fueled by Taiwan’s #MeToo movement and hoping for greater gender equality, Ella shared that the incident happened when she was 9 years old. At her father’s friend’s house, the neighbor’s son “made me sit in his lap to look at a computer, and inserted his fingers inside my underpants. I yelled out loud, but outside there was no one [to help me].” Frozen on the spot because she “didn’t know anything” as a young child, Ella’s mind was seared with that image forever. “I will never forget it. I ran out of the house while crying uncontrollably.”

Ella was scared to talk about the experience with anyone, and kept it as a dark secret until she got married. When she was five months pregnant, she finally discussed the incident with her parents and two elder sisters during a family dinner. She was shocked to discover her sisters were both victims as well. “During our conversation, we realized [the neighbor’s son] also abused both my sisters and touched their chests.”

Even as an adult, she is filled with disgust and anxiety when recalling the dark memories. Unfortunately, Ella encountered another sexual harassment incident at work as an adult. As she was not sure if it was “intentional,” Ella let the incident go and refused to name any names but she still felt very comfortable. Asked to comment on the male celebrities accused of harassment, Ella refrained to comment on Blackie Chen‘s (陳建州) scandal, but she has texted Mickey Huang (黃子佼) to check on his recovery.

Growing up in the 1980s, it was uncommon for Taiwanese parents to discuss sexual abuse with their children. “I regret parents in that era didn’t know how how to deal with these issues.” Now a mother herself, Ella makes sure to educate her 6-year-old son about proper boundaries. “I teach him that the body has many important parts which can’t be touched by others–he can’t touch other people’s private parts either. The body is very important and has many precious parts.”

Sources: [1, 2]

This article is written by Jayne for JayneStars.com.