Rape victim uses camera to increase awareness
By Tanya Bricking
Advertiser Staff Writer
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But being the victim of a crime put her in the center of her own story of survival.
At first, the Japanese photographer working in the Midwest was an anonymous rape victim, described in her East Moline, Ill., newspaper as a "28-year-old female" whose former neighbor broke into her apartment one summer night in 1999 and attacked her. He was arrested on rape charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
| • | Survivor speaks out
'Faces of Rape and Sexual Abuse Survivors' is ongoing in Hawai'i and continues through Friday at Kukui Grove Shopping Center in Lihu'e, Kaua'i, where Nobuko Oyabu will speak at 5:30 p.m. today. Oyabu also will speak at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at Kaiser Permanente's Conference Room in Wailuku, Maui; 5 p.m. Monday at the YMCA of Hawai'i Island, 145 Ululani St., in Hilo; and at 2 p.m. April 27 at Borders bookstore at Ward Center on O'ahu. The exhibit moves from Kaua'i to O'ahu Tuesday and will be shown until April 30 at Honolulu Hale's third-floor gallery. A window display also will exhibit her work April 22 to May 8 at Borders, Ward Center. Oyabu hopes her photographs will be published in book form eventually. To see them on the Web, go to nobukoonline.com. Oyabu also is looking for more survivors, particularly Asian ones, to photograph. to reach her, e-mail. |
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As word spread, rape victims volunteered to be photographed, and she took pictures of about 200 people. Faces of about 20 of them are part of her traveling exhibit, "Faces of Rape and Sexual Abuse Survivors," which is touring Hawai'i in commemoration of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Oyabu will narrate a slide presentation of her photos at events this month on Kaua'i, Maui, the Big Island and O'ahu.
"I think I have done a pretty good job as far as putting faces on this crime, just to raise awareness that these are regular people — someone's sister, daughter, mother," said Oyabu, 31, who quit her job at the Omaha World-Herald to take the collection on tour.
Oyabu, born in Japan, earned a photojournalism degree in 1995 from Columbia College in Chicago. She has worked at several newspapers in the Midwest. Her project was featured in Lifetime television's documentary "Fear No More: End Violence Against Women."
She has spent about $20,000 of her own money for this project, and she says she hopes it will break down stereotypes about rape victims, showing that shame of the crime doesn't belong to the victims.
Sometimes, looking at her collection, it's hard to tell whether her subjects are smiling or crying. But Oyabu says many of the people she's photographed exude an emotion that is one of hope. They may still be healing, but they are ready to move on with their lives.
Contributions to keep the project going can be sent to Oyabu at Face Project, P.O. Box 8823, Omaha, NE 68108-0823.
Tanya Bricking writes about relationships for The Advertiser. Reach her at tbricking@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8026.
