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Help A #MeToo Survivor and Daughter Win Their Case

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(中文版見後)

What I’ve experienced isn’t what any woman should ever go through.
First there was the violence of non-consensual sex forced on me, followed by lies and denial. Then, rare moments of hope, followed by setbacks tinged with revenge from a father whose fear of revealing truth drives him to deny his child’s existence. This child is my daughter. For 20 years I’ve hidden the nightmare involving her origin by my silence, partly due to the sense of shame and partly because the father of my child is a influential public figure. Till the rapist has pushed us to a corner by threatening our existence with vicious conspiracy theories. 
(我經歷了任何一位女性都不該經歷的事情。先是遭遇性侵,接著還要面對謊言、抵賴和詆毀。過去20年來,間或閃現的希望,卻因我女兒的生父拒絕承認這孩子的存在,而淹沒在長久的幻滅中。過去20年來,我一直對女兒的身世三緘其口,讓一段揮之不去的夢魘深藏內心,一方面出於羞辱感,另一方面無法面對孩子的生父作為一個公眾人物給我心靈帶來的扭曲。)
 

With your help, the truth of our experience will be told.
When it is, I hope justice will prevail. This is why I’m emerging from the shadows.
(因您伸出援手,我將得以說出這段真實的經歷。當真相大白的那一天到來,我希望正義能夠隨之彰顯。)

                                                                                                                     (Charlotte and me in 2003)     


In 2000, I was a journalist working for a local Chinese newspaper in Los Angeles. I was assigned to interview a famous Chinese dissident, a political refugee in America, who people called the “Godfather of the Democratic Movement in China.” I wrote the story, but in doing so, my life was changed forever by his sexual assault of me.
(2000年,身為洛杉磯當地一家中文媒體記者的我,被派去採訪一位著名的中國異議人士,也是我本人非常敬仰的政治流亡者、一位被視為「中國民主運動之父」的風雲人物。我完成了採訪任務,然而我的個人生活卻因今生與他這唯一的遭逢而徹底脫軌。)


Let’s just say, nine months after I did that story, I gave birth to my daughter, who bore no resemblance to my then-husband. My husband knew why since I’d told him about the sexual assault after it happened. My marriage ended, and my life as a single mom began. To protect my daughter and me from possible backlash about how she was conceived and her father’s identity, I kept my ordeal quiet. The two of us moved to Hong Kong.
(在我做了那次採訪的9個月之後,我的女兒降生了。她跟我當時的丈夫長得一點也不像,而我丈夫也並不感到驚訝,因為我早跟他坦白了我遭遇性侵的事。我的婚姻其實從那時起已名存實亡,我作為一個單親母親的生涯也即將開始。為了遠離各種因孩子身世而產生的猜忌,讓我和孩子可以過安靜而屬於自己的生活,同時也為了可以就近得到父母家人的幫忙照顧,我帶著孩子離開了美國,赴香港尋找發展機會。)

                                                                                                                                Through the years I never thought about contacting my daughter's biological father, whom I met only once. I didn’t consider doing this even after I lost my job as an editor in 2012. But then a former colleague, Beifeng, left Hong Kong for the United States. He’d criticized me for "depriving the child the right to be recognized by her father," and later persuaded me to let him bring a lock of my daughter’s hair, wrapped it in tissue paper,  that he took with him to the United States.
(多年來,我從未想過要聯絡孩子的生父,那個我只見過一面的人,哪怕是2012年我失業的時候也沒萌生這個打算。我根本已經忘記了這個人,要不是當時正要動身赴美的前同事北風(我告訴了他我的孩子生父是誰,但沒有讓他知道詳情,他也沒有探問)批評我「剝奪孩子認父的權利」。他太太當即揪了孩子幾根頭髮,用手紙包了起來。)

                                                                                                                                    (drawing by Charlotte)


Months later, my heart sank when Beifeng reported back to me that this man had denied everything, even the possibility of knowing me, let alone the possibility of having fathered a  child. He’d committed this horrible crime against me, but he refused to acknowledge this truth. For to accept that he’d fathered a daughter, he’d have to admit how she came to existence.  It appeared that he was refusing to allow his carefully crafted story about his “heroic” life to be marred by acknowledging his daughter’s existence.
(幾個月之後,北風帶來消息並深表意外地說,孩子的生父得知自己可能有個孩子時的反應,竟是敷衍和閃躲,好像根本不可能有這回事一樣。他當然寧肯忘記自己做過的事,但真相怎麼能因你不想面對就可以不承認、孩子怎麼可以就這樣當她不存在呢?就像他後來在郵件裡提到的,他所關切的,是這事將來在他的回憶錄裡該怎麼寫,而不是他身為人父應該盡什麼責。他在意的只是他自己英雄般的人生,無論如何不能留下任何污點。)

                                                                                                                              
After this news reached me, I was diagnosed with clinical depression and started to see a doctor regularly. Professionally, however, I had to appear calm and collected so I could earn a living that would support the two of us. I worked as a freelance writer and translator, while also raising my daughter on my own.
(我聞訊心裡沉了一下,不久開始意識恍惚,甚至試過下班下車記不起回家的方向。我遠在北京的母親聽說之後,在電話的另一頭啜泣得聲音哽咽。2013年2月,我被確診患上抑鬱症。失業更兼病倒,令我們母女的生計雪上加霜,這期間我成為自由撰稿人,還要硬撐著努力譯書維持生計。好在偶爾有父母幫手、妹妹接濟一下,才度過了一段危機。)

                                                                                                                                    (drawing by Charlotte)


Five years later, in 2018, in the midst of #MeToo movement, when sexual abuse and harassment were  receiving public attention globally,  rumors spread online about this  famous Chinese man having fathered an illegitimate child. At that point, I contacted him by phone from Hong Kong and boldly asked for child support.
(一晃又過了5年,時間到了2018年,在#MeToo(「我也是受害者」)運動的聲浪中,性侵和性騷擾現象的普遍存在引起了全球性輿論關注。在此期間,網上首次出現了對我女兒的生父「不認親」的議論。已變得反應遲緩的我這才開始應對,邁出了主動聯繫孩子生父這一步。)


He agreed to a DNA test that was performed privately in Washington D.C.., The DNA results proved that he was Charlotte's father. The person  who shared the results with him said that he had responded positively to having a daughter. Accordingly, when I contacted him again, he promised to assist us by at least paying for her education. But later on, since I would not change my tone on the unhappy encounter with him in the past, he decided to deny being Charlotte’s father and began to challenge the DNA results, shirked his responsibility as her biological father, and ignored that I was a victim of his violent sexual assault.
(他於是主動提出做個DNA鑑定,並指定了一位背景相當可靠的前白宮幕僚做中間人,在華盛頓特區進行了DNA樣本的收集與鑑定。結果出來後,中間人率先通知我,說結果證明魏先生是孩子的生父無疑,並告訴我,魏先生對鑑定結果表示認可並顯得「很開心」。據此,在我與孩子的生父再次聯繫時,他表示自己起碼會負擔孩子的大學學費。但真到了時候他又變卦了,甚至仗著沒有把DNA鑑定結果如約給我們,便想將已經做過DNA鑑定這事也想賴掉。)

                                                                                                                                    (drawing by Charlotte)


The rest of the story is detailed in Huaizhao Liu v. Jingsheng Wei, case #1:19-cv-03344, which was heard in the Washington, D.C. federal court.  Charlotte’s father managed to find the funds necessary to hire a high-powered defense attorney to help him to deny both our dignity and his  basic obligations of paternity.
(後來的事情見華盛頓特區聯邦法院卷宗(Case Number 1:19-cv-03344)。我女兒的生父大手筆聘請了專攻白領犯罪辯護的名牌大狀為自己的辯護律師,竭力搬弄法律條文進行技術性規避,想就此永遠掩蓋真相,踐踏我們母女的權益與尊嚴。)


We believe that Charlotte’s biological father should be forced to keep his promise of supporting her education, and we are asking that he release the DNA test results to us. His 19-year old daughter deserves to know the truth.
(我們堅信,法庭應該為這位竭力否認已經做過親子鑑定的生父驗明正身,然後強制他履行他的諾言,承擔他女兒的學費。我們堅信,他19歲的女兒有權利知曉真相。)


The weight of evidence is on our side, but we risk losing the lawsuit that we are filing against him if we cannot  raise the money we need to hire an attorney who is as capable as his lawyer. What is at risk is Charlotte's right to a quality education, along with the legally binding acknowledgement of his paternity.
(儘管我們掌握活生生的證據,但如果籌不到聘請律師的費用,單憑我們自訴,將無法應對複雜的陪審團庭審程序。立案至今一年多來,被告採取躲和拖的戰術,先是躲傳票,然後提出「司法管轄權」爭議逼我們撤案,一計不成又援引「多國籍」條款,將案子從特區高等法院轉移到聯邦法院。)

                                                                                                                                          (Charlotte drawing)


With your assistance – with your contributions – we intend to hire an attorney who is experienced in sexual assault and paternity cases. We hope to win this #MeToo case and pursue respectful, equal and democratic human relationship in Chinese community.
(您的捐助將幫助我們聘請到專攻性侵案和親子案官司的律師,幫我們贏得這場事關尊嚴、平等、人權以及人性的人身傷害官司,並藉此推動美國的華人社區乃至全球華人的觀念進步與行為的現代化。)


Here are some online stories and commentary about this, in Chinese:
(以下是部分有關此案的中文文章:)

https://www.storm.mg/article/2891777?mode=whole
廖亦武:《魏京生DNA認親案》
(by Liao Yiwu,  award winner of Human Rights Watch Hellman-Hammett Grant 2003, the German Geschwister-Scholl-Preis 2011 and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2012.)
(作者/廖亦武,詩人、流亡作家與底層歷史記錄者。2012年德國書業和平獎得主,並曾獲美國《當代基督教》雜誌頒發的「最佳圖書奬」、德國書業協會頒發的「紹爾兄妹獎」、德國廣播協會頒發的「最佳廣播劇奬」及德國阿夏芬堡頒發的「公民勇氣奬」。2013年,法國政府頒發給廖亦武「法蘭西文學藝術軍官獎章」。2018年,廖亦武獲美國紐約瓦茨拉夫 哈維爾圖書基金會頒發「無懼危難作家獎」。)

http://minzhuzhongguo.org/MainArtShow.aspx?AID=105641
齊家貞:《我認識的劉懷昭和魏京生》
(by Qi JIazhen, writer in exile, author of autobiographical series: Tears of the Goddess of Liberty and Red Dog. Qi is the Chairwoman of the Women Writers committee, Independent Chinese PEN Center.)
(作者/齊家貞,流亡作家,著有系列傳記《自由神的眼泪──父女两代囚徒的真實故事》(後改名《黑牆裡的倖存者》和《紅狗:—個被釋女囚的真實故事》在香港和台灣出版。齊家貞曾先後擔任國際筆會獨立中文筆會理事會理事、副會長、秘書長等職務,並在澳洲建立了“齊氏文化基金會”,每年頒發“推動中國進步獎”截至2019年已連續頒獎12屆。)

https://liuvswei.blogspot.com/2020/08/metoo.html
劉家儀:夜深思考:社會民主運動中的Metoo-淺談劉魏案
(by Lau Kayee, Chairwoman of Network for Women In Politics, Hong Kong; Spokeswoman of Hong Kong Civil Human Rights Front.)
(作者/劉家儀,香港婦女參政網絡主席,六四新生代秘書長,支聯會常委,香港市民捍衛人權陣線發言人。)
 


With your contributions, we will be able to set a positive example for #MeToo victims by raising awareness about women’s and children's rights, globally.
因您的資助,我們將能夠為#MeToo運動傷害者們建立一個積極的個案,為提高女性及孩童的權利意識而有所貢獻。

                                                                                                                                    (drawing by Charlotte)
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