Project proposal
Faces of the Sexual Assault Survivors
by Nobuko Oyabu (Fotogno@aol.com)
© Feb. 2001
Many think it will never happen to them. I was one of them until
the night my former neighbor broke into my apartment and raped me in
the summer of 1999. That night, I was forced to wake up to reality:
the reality that I didn’t see how easy it is to be the next
victim. The reality that we are often blinded by confusions about
sex in society. That night, I was forced to learn how much it hurts
to be violated in the very sacred place: my womb. I can’t stop
wondering how many victims are out there crying alone tonight.
Statistics* show that one out of three women
worldwide has experienced rape or sexual assault. One out six young
men has been sexually assaulted by age 18, and the abuse takes place
every 60 seconds in the United States. Some may say that is better
than other countries like South Africa where a sex crime happens
every 20 seconds. In Southeast Asia, girls are being sold for
prostitution to feed their families. But does the number matter when
someone’s daughter, wife, sister, or mother is hurting?
My project "Faces of the Sexual Assault Survivors"
reveals the inner strength of women and men who have been put to the
ultimate trial of their lives. In spite of being victimized, many
are determined to make it through. Most, including me, are still in
the healing process. Survivors may never overcome the violent event
completely, but life goes on. We have to move on.
This project will expose the issue of sexual assault which is
probably the darkest secret in many families and personal histories.
It challenges society to face the reality of this type of abuse, and
it promotes the awareness of how common this violence is around us.
I hope that it also helps break stereotypes of sexual assault
victims through photographs of survivors from different age groups,
ethnic backgrounds, and financial status. It is happening everywhere
in many different forms no matter who you are and where you are. It
is not just a women’s issue. Neither is it just a racial or
religious issue. It is a very basic human rights issue.
Breaking the silence is not easy. The subjects of the project
help me do so by putting their faces in front of my camera. By
sharing my journey through this project, I hope that a victim will
know there is hope in her or his future, a survivor will no longer
feel guilty nor ashamed, someone vulnerable will be cautioned, and a
potential assailant will notice that a victim can be someone he
loves, such as his daughter, wife, sister, or mother.
| If you would like to participate in this project or contribute
financially, contact Nobuko Oyabu at Fotogno@aol.com. |
Nobuko Oyabu Bio
Nobuko Oyabu came to the United States in 1990
from Japan. She earned a Bachelor of Art degree, concentrated in
Photojournalism, from Columbia College in Chicago in 1995. Nobuko
worked for the Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, WI and The Dispatch/
Rock Island Argus in the Quad Cities, IL, before she joined The
Omaha World-Herald in Nebraska in January 2000. She has won awards
from the Illinois Press Photographers Association’s Photographer
of the year contest, the National Press Photographers Association’s
clip contest, and the College Photographer of the Year contest. She
was selected to attend the Eddie Adams Workshop in 1997, and
Associated Press’ Diverse Vision workshop in 1996. Her work was
featured at the Quad City Arts Center in Rock Island, IL, in 1998,
and appeared in MAMM Magazine, national magazine for breast cancer
survivors, in 2000.
* Reference from April 2000 report from the Rape
Prevention Resource Center of California Coalition Against Sexual
Assault. Faces of the Sexual Assault Survivors by Nobuko Oyabu ©
Feb. 2001
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