HEAR ME NOW: exhibition on the impact of sexual misconduct
Portraits that gaze at you and have moving stories to tell: HEAR ME NOW says what usually remains unsaid. The exhibition in our Wijnhaven building breaks taboos and invites visitors to reflect on harassment and their role in this.
The exhibition features 14 portraits of people who have experienced sexual violence. Through QR codes, they share their experiences of shame, guilt and victim blaming. Together, the photos and interviews compel us to really listen. One panel features men and is about their responsibility in preventing violence.
HEAR ME NOW is open from 24 November to 8 December in Wijnhaven (LU-Card mandatory)
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Timo Kos, Vice-President of the Executive Board -
Mariëlle Vavier, Alderman for Poverty, Inclusion, Healthcare and International Affairs -
Sara Donkers, founder of HEAR ME Foundation
Call for recognition and action
In an orange-lit room in Wijnhaven, Vice-President of the Executive Board Timo Kos and Hague alderman Mariëlle Vavier (Poverty, Inclusion, Healthcare and International Affairs) have come to open the exhibition. The colour orange is no coincidence: the exhibition is during Orange the World, the global UN campaign against violence against women and girls.
Before the exhibition is officially opened, Han Leenders, one of the 14 people featured, takes to the stage. His personal experiences and the courage it takes to talk about them make a deep impression on the visitors. Leenders hopes that by sharing his story, he will encourage others to speak out.
In his speech, Kos outlines the urgency in higher education, with figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) showing that more than half of female (52%) and one in five male students (19%) experience sexual misconduct during their studies. ‘We don’t accept sexual misconduct at our university,’ he says, ‘but we do have to talk about it together.’ He thinks the exhibition will help get the conversation going.
We must not look away from sexual violence, says Vavier, ‘HEAR ME NOW is more than a title. It is a call. A demand. A reminder that the time of looking away, minimising or excusing sexual violence is over.’
Breaking taboos
HEAR ME NOW was developed by Sara Donkers for the HEAR ME Foundation, in collaboration with Municipal Public Health Service (GGD) Haaglanden, Emancipator and Centrum1622. ‘HEAR ME NOW is about breaking the taboos around sexual harassment,’ said Donkers. ‘I hope it empowers young people to speak out.’
Impact of the exhibition
After the opening, groups of visitors gather around the panels. Brian, for example, a first-year International Studies student. ‘The stories affected me more than I expected,’ he says. ‘They’re helping me understand my own experiences and to stop minimising. It’s good they’re holding this exhibition at our university because it’ll open people’s eyes – of both the victims and of people who may not realise their behaviour is inappropriate.’
Workshops and training
As part of HEAR ME NOW, workshops for students and training for staff are being held between 24 November and 8 December. They will take a closer look at identifying, discussing and preventing sexual misconduct.