Winnie M Li was raped during a walk through Belfast’s Colin Glen Forest Park in 2008. She recently received her doctorate in 2024 following her PhD and is working on her third book. Since that terrible and horrific day, it has been a remarkable tale of healing.
Last month, Winnie M Li tweeted about her delight upon receiving her PhD; on the same day, a copy of it was taken by a burglar.
Winnie M Li dismissed it: “Perhaps the thief will read it,” she remarked. “Part of my attitude to life comes from what happened in Belfast.”
Her PhD was completed at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
She is working on her third book after writing two—Dark Chapter and Complicit. “It will show up in the spring or summer of next year,” she stated.
“Although I consider myself a full-time writer, authors are not constantly active. About thirty per cent of what I do is related in nature. I also work on other projects, including bits of instruction and public presentations. After my PhD ends, I hope to give my fiction writing more of my whole attention. Right now, I live in the country. It is not at all like London, where I spent decades. Covid-related part of my relocation here occurred. I delivered just before it happened. My son is currently four and a half years old.
When I asked Winnie M Li about the present rates of sexual assault in Northern Ireland, she informed me that the PSNI reported 4,232 sexual offences there in 2022/23. The frequency of sexual offences has skyrocketed within this period. Under Ulster University’s Every Voice Matters! Violence Against Women in Northern Ireland report last year, seven out of ten respondents said they had personally experienced some violence or abuse in the past twelve months.
With shame and embarrassment reported to be the main obstacle to reporting violent events, just one-third (33%) of the 542 women participants in the survey felt able to discuss or report the violent incident that had occurred.
“It’s very disappointing if the criminal justice system is that intimidating and such an unpleasant process that women feel discouraged from reporting sexual assaults,” Winnie M Li added. From my activist work, I am aware that most victims and survivors did not notify the authorities. That is simply astounding, considering what we know.
“My case was evident in the media. However, we also consider the few instances that get media coverage. Of the actual sexual attacks that occur, this is quite a small minority. The criminal justice system is not performing as desired. Though most offenders are not being held responsible for their actions, it is catching some like myself. I consider the victims and survivors compelled to cope with the tragedy on their own. Public institutions might not provide the backing they need. Every time an offender gets away with what he does, he is most likely to encounter another victim elsewhere.
” Thinking about it is depressing. I constantly attempt to present an encouraging view to tell ladies they can withstand these things and go out the other side. Ultimately, though, we wouldn’t have victims if we had offenders of these crimes. This is why we need them.
When it came to advocating against sexual violence, Winnie M Li had no trouble defining herself as a “activist”.
“For every victim, my assault affected the path of their life; it was over 16 years ago. My film-producing career came to an end. It wasn’t easy. Years I was passed before I could start working correctly once more. I had always wanted to chronicle my experience. Five years following the attack, I penned Dark Chapter. The book aims to bring to life the experience of a sexual survivor as well as challenge our perceptions about offenders and what follows an attack for the victim as well as the offender.
“There has always been an activist element ingrained in my work. I began an arts festival in 2015 called Clear Lines (a four-day event in London that included art, music, poetry, cinema, and discussion of sexual assault) as I was writing Dark Chapter. With its pretty and elegant layout, one visit to Féile and Phobail in west Belfast motivated the festival.
Many survivors needed to view this art, which aimed at talking about sexual assault.
“Most of my work explores some gender-based violence. I also do a reasonable amount of public speaking. I have also worked with Nexus, a Northern Ireland charity supporting those affected by sexual abuse and abusive relationships, to undertake online creative writing seminars.
“I have spent many years returning to Belfast loads of time. Oddly, I have developed a rapport with the city regarding what happened to me. I could have turned away and resolved that I never wanted to return here. Trauma affects people; for some years following the incident, I would hear Northern Irish accents in London and experience waves of nausea.
Regarding writing the Dark Chapter, I had to return to Belfast to research. It was an instance of having to face my demons. Having made many pals, I’m delighted I did.
In 2022, she returned to Belfast as a keynote speaker at an event on violence against women and girls at the Crescent Arts Centre. The Seamus Heaney Centre coordinated it at Queen’s University, Belfast and Dr Hilary McCollum.
“At these gatherings, I will say that you may reconstruct your life and that rehabilitation is possible. This is such a crucial message, and in the immediate wake of my rape, I would have found it hard to believe.
“I still have the tape of the Stephen Nolan show from two days after my rape, where they discussed it. Right then, I was listening to it. Their conversation concerned what this rape meant for Northern Ireland. Still, is this a safe city? And since nobody then knew me, I was being called “this Chinese woman.”
“My heart goes out to that wee Chinese girl whose life is now ruined,” one woman caller stated, presumably meaning well.
“I recall at the time finding that to be a harsh pronouncement. This is a message that ought not to be sent. I also remember wondering where my voice in all of this was and why nobody else was considering me as the victim of this crime.
Though it takes time, you can put your life together. Good friends who know either from rape crisis centres or each other provide help.
Winnie M Li walks to commemorate the actual day the rape occurred each year. “Perhaps one day I will be free from doing this. My stroll is no longer a cause for grief. This is a celebration I am still living in, and I have managed to put my life back together. And so, the world still has beauty. I find it crucial to go on the walk alone. Perhaps I will do it with buddies sometime.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.