In Beijing, an ephemeral exhibition to denounce violence against women
The exhibition brings together some of the “Me Too” installations that have been circulating in China in recent months, including testimonials from women broadcast through some thirty loudspeakers installed on the floor.
© Stéphane Lagarde / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
“Eliminate gender violence” is the title of an ephemeral exhibition in Beijing that we invite you to discover now.
The defense of the cause of women has progressed with the “Me too” movement which appeared in China in 2018, even if this kind of exposure remains rare.
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With our correspondent in Beijing,
Stéphane Lagarde
Monologues of women harassed by a teacher, an employer or a spouse.
The loudspeakers whisper on the floor: “
He gave me a hug.
He kissed my cheek, then my lips… I was panicked, I didn't know what to do
”.
This traveling exhibition, inaugurated on November 25 on the occasion of the international day against violence against women, will last only one week.
It is hosted until Tuesday, December 1 in the evening in the hall of the French Cultural Center in Beijing.
On the walls, robotic portraits of the attackers and a table recapitulating the major dates of the “Me too” movement in China.
"A long
way to go
"
Xu Ning, 24, a student at the University of Communication, is concerned: “
I was not sexually harassed myself, but some of my friends have been through it.
It's important to have this kind of exposure to raise awareness.
Many voices have been heard on social networks in recent months: no longer just victims, we now have civil society actors, certain personalities who dare to speak out.
There is a greater awareness of gender inequality and other issues of the cause of women although there is still some way to go
.
"
Scarcity
In the country where, as Mao said, "
women represent half the sky
", public opinion is regularly
scandalized
by violence committed in the home by a husband, a partner or the in-laws.
The organizers confide, off the microphone, that this kind of exposure on violence against women is rare in China.
A similar project took place for a day and a half in Canton in the south-east of the country.
And in Chengdu in the west, the police intervened after a week confiscating all the facilities.
"Resist"
There is still a long way to go for the Mee Too movement.
A mosaic with the word “Resist” in English reminds visitors of the exhibition.
Each color comes to identify different obstacles to the expression of the cause of women by the central or provincial authorities.
On January 1, 2021, the new Chinese Civil Code will come into force.
Its article 1010 stipulates that victims of sexual assault, whether by words, images or actions, will be able to take legal action.
Companies and institutions are also encouraged to take measures to prevent gender violence.
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