Global Women's Voices: Share Personal Stories

Q-Mei, Taiwan

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Taking psycho treatment for one year after suffering from sexual abuse, Q-Mei wrote down her own story and contributed it to Garden of Hope Magazine in order to encourage those girls who are still tramped in the same situation. A note from the Editor

Q-Mei was originally a happy, outgoing, and simple teenage girl. However, her character gradually changed to the opposite since that very unfortunate issue happened.

Not long time ago, Q-Mei was still a 3rd grade primary school student. One evening she went to a relative's house. The couple of this house was just like "mommy and daddy" to her. That night they played poker together. The "daddy" set the rule of the game the loser had to kiss him. Q-Mei said, "Oh!" as the reply and followed the rule afterwards by kissing him in front of the "mommy".

After the game, they went to bed for sleep. The "daddy" occupied the middle part of the bed with Q-Mei and his wife at the left and right. Q-Mei fell into deep sleep for she was too tired. But later she felt "daddy" kissed her once in a while. As a ten-year-old girl, she was too naïve to aware of his attempt.

The next morning, Q-Mei stayed with "daddy" when "mommy" went out to work. It was after 12 at noon and they had finished lunch. "Daddy" asked her to take a bath. She obeyed.
Half way of the bathing, "daddy" knocked the door and asked to take shower with her together. Q-Mei thought it should be "OK" and let "daddy" come in. But she found later "daddy" started to do something that made her quite uncomfortable. She was only ten and didn't know how to respond to all the odd happenings.

After the shower, Q-Mei and "daddy" went back to the room doing the odd and uncomfortable behavior. "Daddy" asked, "You can tell daddy like you a lot. Do you like me?" Q-Mei regarded these words as "father-daughter" talk, so she replied, "Yes, I do." Then he told her, "This is what the adults like to do when they love each other." Since then, Q-Mei had been taken advantages of by "daddy" at least once a week, while she dared not say anything against him. A quite long time afterwards, from the comic books, Q-Mei finally understood that she was under sexual harassment.

Q-Mei kept this secret alone till the summer of her 12 years old. She revealed the whole story for being unable to bear misunderstandings from her own family. Her family knew it at last, but "daddy" denied in the first place, and then admitted of doing it only three times. He had no guts to admit it! Sadly enough, Q-Mei’s parents did nothing but asked her better not telling anybody. They wanted her to forget about the whole thing. Q-Mei began to doubt whether her parents treasured her or not? Why there was no one did anything for her? She had never been so lonely and miserable. From then on, Q-Mei turned out to be a problem student in her school.

Her luck was not that bad always! She came across with a great teacher who saved her from the suffering. The teacher tried every possible method to help Q-Mei, such as taking her to do psycho treatment. The effort was not in vain. Q-Mei eventually overcame the suffering and rebuilt self-esteem again, although she never forgot about that terrible experiences.

(The author is a Junior High school student)

Story provided by The Garden of Hope Foundation
http://www.goh.org.tw email:goh@ms1.hinet.net

updated: 7/2/2004