As much as sexual harassment is not widely spoken of, it is way more common than you think it to be. A lot of victims are afraid to speak up about their experience. However, as long as one is willing to speak up, it will encourage more victims to talk about their traumatic experiences.
Recently, in light of Taiwan’s #MeToo movement, Taiwanese actor Chris Wang (宥胜) was exposed to have sexually harassed multiple female employees in the past. One of the victims spoke up exposing the actor and others have since shared the trauma they have experienced because of the 41-year-old.
A woman by the name Ding Ding (丁丁) shared on Facebook that one of her sexual harassment experiences was with an actor. This actor is described to be a very kind and loving father. During a dinner gathering, she was in charged of sending everyone home because she did not drink. The car she was driving at that time was the actor’s, so she dropped him off last. On the way back to his house, he grabbed her breasts – twice!
Although the actor apologised to the woman the next day, she came to realised through a friend that he was a sex offender because of a similar experience another female actress had. “I really thought that it was a mistake because he was drunk. Turns out, it wasn’t! He was a recidivist! I thought about this for a long time, I kept thinking this might affect his children. The main reason why I decided to speak up now is because I also have children. I want my children to know, silence is not the best course of action in this world.“
In the apology text, Chris mentioned that he was a victim of sexual harassment as well in the past, so he understands the fear and trauma. He apologised for his sudden impulse and commented that he has always felt agony when he sees any news related to sexual harassment. “On one hand, I would think about you all. On the other, I would think that I would be punished like these people one day. That day has finally come.”
In addition to this, another woman also posted on Facebook about being sexually harassed by Chris. Referred to ‘W’ in the post, the woman mentioned that ‘W’ used the toilet as an excuse to enter a female employee’s house. He then straddled on top of her and forced kissed her. He also licked her ears and took off her bra, but he was not able to get his way in the end.
Experiencing this once, the female employee warned the author of the post about him, but she did not heed the warning. In the end, she also fell victim to the actor. ‘W’ used work as a reason and invited her to his private office. He then suddenly hugged her from the back. “At that moment, my whole mind went blank, and I didn’t dare to move a single bit, even my breathing stopped.” The woman eventually texted ‘W’ about this reminding him to not do such a thing because she was scared to death. However, in reply, ‘W’ said, “I really needed it…”
In regard to the scandals, Chris brought it to his Facebook and issued a short apology. “I sincerely apologise for my past actions that have brought hurt and trauma. I’m really, really sorry. I won’t run away from my past mistakes. Truly, I’m really sorry.”
Turns out, Chris’ wife has known about this all along. In an interview with SET news, one of the victims revealed that the wife personally reached out to her to apologise for the husband’s actions. The message dated back to November 2019, and it reads, “I’m sorry, I only got to know today that my husband did something that wronged you. I’m truly sorry.”
Netizens who have once supported Chris expressed their disappointment and anger after he admitted to his past actions in the apology post. Some netizens even commented for the actor to quit the entertainment business.
- “You can never change a person’s character. What would you think if your daughter meets someone like you?”
- “Not all things deserve to be forgiven after apologising.”
- “The phrase ‘Let bygones be bygones’ is stupid. I believe that you missed out on the chance to take the initiative, this is extremely disappointing. You should be apologising to the victims, not us.”
