Amber An Says Sexual Assault Victim Blaming Needs to Stop: “Only Yes Means Yes”

Taiwanese pop singer Amber An (安心亞) pledges to support all victims of sexual violence. Appointed as the 2020 ambassador for the Modern Women’s Foundation Initiative, Amber is the poster girl for the foundation’s latest PSA campaign “only YES means YES”.

“If I say we can, then we can,” explained Amber. “And it has to be under the condition where both of us are sober and alert. It is not based on assumptions.”

As a woman, Amber said she understands the dilemma that many sexual assault victims have to face. One of her closest friends was raped, and she was by her friend’s side when she went through her different stages of grief, anxiety, and pain.

“The women are always blamed,” said Amber. “Blame it on her for doing something. Blame it on her for wearing a short skirt. The society should instead focus on the assaulter. It is the assaulter’s problem, not the victim’s. We should not be focused on what the victim was wearing, nor how she was behaving. That notion is completely flawed.”

Amber believes that rapists are repeated offenders. “They get arrested, sued, attend court, but in the end, nothing has changed because they’re not scared,” said Amber. “Maybe it’s because they find that being captured isn’t a big deal because they won’t receive a heavy punishment.”

The singer said many modern nations, including Taiwan, have misconceptions of sexual violence. Often times, the attention is put on the victim, blaming the victim for either showing too much skin, or that she was simply “asking for it”. This kind of victim-blaming gives the assaulter the luxury of having the benefit of the doubt. By blaming the victim, the victim would only spiral down into a constant loop of anxiety and self-blaming, which would only indulge the assaulter to continue to commit the same crimes.

“There are countless of rape victims out there who are too scared to step forward. They are under huge psychological pressure,” said Amber. “We need to give them the power and space to face  this, and we need to change the society’s attitude towards sexual victims and assault.”

April 29th is not only Denim Day, but also a day to raise sexual assault awareness and express solidarity to rape victims. Amber said, “I’m happy for the opportunity to be the ambassador for this campaign. I want to encourage all citizens to wear denim that day to express your stance against sexual violence. Stand up for sexual assault victims. Stay with them and listen to them. Every single person has the power to stop sexual violence.”

Source: Ettoday.net

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.