A big thank you to Ray Kwong on this supportive piece, published on Nov 24 2011 and titled “SlutWalk comes to HK taking stand against sexual violence”! The original link is: http://tinyurl.com/7wovw3v. Please find his piece below:

“I don’t think we’d be seeing similar protests in Beijing or Shanghai anytime soon, but I’d like to call your attention to an important upcoming event here in Hong Kong that you all should be aware of.

“It’s called SlutWalk Hong Kong. And it’s not exactly what you think.

“Some history: Speaking at a crime prevention safety forum in January this year, Toronto police constable Michael Sanguinetti put his foot in his mouth by suggesting that women “should avoid dressing like sluts” to prevent sexual attacks.

“That victim-blaming gaffe set the wheels in motion, sparking a movement that began in Canada, spread to virtually every major city in the US and is now sweeping the world.

“Angie Ng, founder of SlutWalk Hong Kong, says the intent of the event is to take a stand against sexual violence and the misconceptions surrounding it. “SlutWalk supports victims and survivors, and puts the blame where it belongs… on those who commit it,” she said.

“To make it clear, sexual assault goes beyond rape. By definition, it’s any involuntary sexual act in which a person is threatened, coerced, or forced to engage against their will. This includes any sexual touching of a person without consent.

“In Hong Kong, sexual assaults are on the rise, with nearly 1,500 incidents reported in 2010, according to Hong Kong Police Force statistics.

“A study conducted by RainLily, a crisis management and support organization for women who have experienced sexual violence, revealed 78.9 percent of the victims knew or had prior contact with the assailants. In particular, 39.3 percent of the assailants were friends, 13.2 percent were intimate opposite-sex partners, and 19.8 percent were family members. Only 21.1 percent of the assailants were strangers.

“Irene Ng, a RainLily service coordinator commented: “For many, rape is an unspeakable trauma. Victims usually feel guilty and ashamed of themselves. They suffer from mood swings over trivial things. Some of them become socially withdrawn, with their trust in people shattered. Some have problems with dating, marriage and sex. More seriously, half of the victims have self-mutilating behavior as they think life is no longer worth living.”

“SlutWalk Hong Kong happens on Sunday, December 4, at 3 p.m. Supporters will march from Causeway Bay to Wanchai, where there will be an informative rally with personal testimonials and guest speakers including Dr Yau Ching of Lingnan University. Yau is the author of five books including “As Normal as Possible: Negotiating Sexuality and Gender in Mainland China and Hong Kong,” and is also an award-winning filmmaker, poet and media artist.

“Expectations for the original SlutWalk, organized by Heather Jarvis and Sonya Barnett in Toronto, were modest — they hoped for 200 supporters at the most — but they ended up with a crowd of more than 3,000. Some wore jeans and tees, “others in outfits more appropriate for a Victoria’s Secret fashion show: lingerie and stilettos,” wrote the Huffington Post.

““The idea that there is some aesthetic that attracts sexual assault or even keeps you safe from sexual assault is inaccurate, ineffective and even dangerous,” Jarvis told HuffPo. She recalled a sign at the march that read: “It was Christmas day. I was 14 and raped in a stairwell wearing snowshoes and layers. Did I deserve it too?”

“Indeed, at the nearly 80 SlutWalks around the globe to date, actual rape survivors have worn the clothes they had been assaulted in, “from pajamas to thigh-high boots, carrying signs that said, ‘This Is What I Was Wearing When I Was Raped,’” according a story in The Nation.

“SlutWalks have popped up in cities as diverse as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas, London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, New Delhi and Mexico City.

“SlutWalk Hong Kong will be held the same day as SlutWalks in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangalore. People of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, sexual preferences and gender identities are welcome. And I’m going to try my personal best to be there, too. For additional information about SlutWalk Hong Kong, please go to slutwalkhongkong.wordpress.com/.”