Interview with Rydia and Chloe from 'Disruptive Voices'
We met with the leaders of ’Disruptive Voices’, a great organization devoted to helping the victims of sexual abuse in Korea to learn more about their worthy cause and their thoughts about Seoul.
Could you tell us more about the origin story of Disruptive Voices? How did this organization start?
Rydia: It started out in September 2013 to help women who are survivors of various forms of violence together with the fashion clothing line ‘Varyd’ that I run but it eventually separated into an independent women’s rights group with co-leaders helping out our efforts. The first activity of Disruptive Voices has several branches; Womyn’s Talks, Men’s Talks, LGBTQIA Talks and open Workshops. All our talks are free of charge.
In April 2015, we started a bi-weekly Womyn Survivors Group which is run in both Korean and English. We welcome any and all women who have undergone sexual violence in their lives to join us. We give various support and make sure that the group atmosphere is constructive and respectful to provide a safe space for everyone. We also offer relevant information regarding the Korean legal system and its procedures as well as resources on where to get help for physical and/or psychological care.
Besides our talks, Disruptive Voices have been invited to speak and hold special lectures on number of occasions. We have worked with Ehwa University for both a graduate school class as well as the Ewha Global Empowerment Program. We also have held a special sexual harassment seminar for Samdong – a Korean NGO.
Currently we have manged to find our very first angel donor, Mr. Jang Jun-pyo, who is the CEO of Pojang 119 (포장 119). He has opened our eyes and given us inspiration to look into registering Disruptive Voices as an official NGO. Furthermore, we hope to expand into the teenage and young adults community who are the next generation and work with them on slowly but surely establishing a culture of consent. Lastly, we have also translated a well-known Korean autobiography < 눈물도 빛을 만나면 반짝인다> in collaboration with Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center (KSVRC) and we are looking into publishing the English version of the book.
Are there any moments from Disruptive Voices that stand out in your memory?
Rydia: For me, it was the workshop that took place last year in May. It was mainly focused on educating the third parties - people around the victim of sexual violence. Often times, the aftermath of an assault and people’s responses can be worse than the assault itself. The third parties that respond with victim blaming, indifference and shaming are what leads to many people to not speak up against their perpetrator and cause prolonged trauma and suffering.
The most powerful and memorable workshop in May <Story of Rape – A Father’s Story>, our guest speaker was the father of an infamous sexual assault case in Korea known as The Case of Na-Young(나영이 사건). It was an open Q&A format. He candidly opened up about the incident and delved into details of how the family dealt with the aftermath. The place was packed as people from all walks of life attended.
Chloe: For me, it was during the time we gave a lecture at Ehwa University. We were getting acquainted with the students who were in attendance. A lot of them were involved in various women’s organizations and during the question and answer session, one of the students said that she respects us for helping the public by opening up our lives to the people. I always think about how we can make Disruptive Voices less bureaucratic and more of a grassroots movement because I think that our biggest strength is that we are flexible, open, personal and that we have the information and the means to connect people with the right institution to provide the help they need.
How would you describe Seoul to people who have never been to this city?
Chloe: I think that Seoul is dynamic as things always change in this city and people here are working all the time. But at the same time, there are nice friendly neighbours in the pockets of the city. I have experienced the kindness from warm, friendly people.
Rydia: Seoul is a city that truly never sleeps. Most people picture New York or Tokyo as a megacity where nothing stops but things stop at certain time of the night unlike Seoul where so many things stay open all the time. It’s quite convenient and the public transportation system is great. As for the downside, Korea is a country where you are not who you think you are but what others say you are. Naturally, people are too conscious of their outer appearances and tend to make everything into a competition. This could be why Seoul makes people feel lonely. The food is awesome though.
Last words and things you would like to promote.
We would like to inform the public of our bilingual survivor’s group of Disruptive Voices. Also, if you would like to volunteer or collaborate with Disruptive Voices, email us at [email protected]
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