Rowena Chiu landed what she thought was her dream job in 1998 when she was hired by film company Miramax. Little did Hana know this dream would quickly turn into a nightmare, as nearly a month later she had to fight to get rid of her half-naked boss in a hotel room in Venice.
That boss was sex offender and former film producer Harvey Weinstein, who was recently sentenced to 16 years in prison, on top of the 23 he is already serving.
Rowena was forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement and over the years was too afraid to speak out about Weinstein’s crimes against her. Until 2019, when she joined more than 100 other women who accused Weinstein of rape or sexual assault.
Rowena appeared in court last week in support of the unnamed woman, Jane Doe, whom Weinstein was found guilty of raping.
Nothing prepared her for the horror
Rowena opens up in a conversation with The Sun, where she says she hopes the recent verdict against Weinstein can bring some peace to her more than 100 victims.
She says there is still work to be done and that is to hold accountable the rape system and culture that allowed Weinstein to commit his crimes for decades unmolested under the guise of his power.
Rowena says when she started working for Weinstein, her colleagues were quick to warn her against him. He is said to be versatile and prone to temper tantrums. This was not unusual in the 1990s, as sexual harassment was the order of the day.
However, nothing prepared Rowena for the horror she had to endure in the aforementioned hotel room in Venice.
She was told she would have to share a hotel suite with Weinstein because he liked to work late at night. At that time, she took care of herself and wore two pairs of pantyhose over her underwear.
As soon as they got to the suite, Weinstein changed into a bathrobe he had unzipped, then harassed her for the next four hours, trying to get her out of her clothes, asking for a massage and asking for the oral sex.
She finally gave in and agreed to massage him, but he then pushed her onto the bed, ripped off her underwear and told her. “You could have had a great career if you had just given me five minutes.”
Believe they will be believed
She managed to escape by pointing out to Weinstein that his colleague was starting to worry. She later confided in this colleague about what had happened and they decided to report it at work.
“We thought once people found out what Weinstein had done, he would be reported to the police, arrested and charged with sexual assault,” Rowena said.
“We didn’t realize how difficult it was for young women to be religious.” We were gullible and didn’t know our superiors wouldn’t do anything and probably already knew what Harvey had done to other women. I was scared and shocked and Harvey was a powerful man.”
Rowena was then forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement that made her feel like a criminal. She was blackmailed by lawyers into signing and receiving around 22 million in exchange for her silence.
Meetings regarding the contract took place late at night as Harvey was afraid that Rowena would be seen.
“We weren’t fed, we were escorted to the toilets and we weren’t allowed paper and pens, we were kept there until five in the morning.”
The contract also stipulated that Rowena was not allowed to contact her colleague who supported her, nor was she allowed to consult a psychologist. Weinstein’s lawyers also told them to leave. would depend on their families and friends if they broke the deal and talked about the attack.
It was fear for the safety of her loved ones that kept Rowena sticking to the contract for as long as she did.
“It’s common for victims of sexual abuse to blame themselves and I blamed myself for not being strong enough and not standing up for it and I thought my friends and family would pay the price.” It’s a huge burden for a young person to bear.”
We took dark times
Rowena then couldn’t find a job in Hollywood because employers looked at her resume and saw she had worked for Weinstein for a short time and it wasn’t a good idea.
Her dream of working in the film industry was dead and there were dark times in her life when she attempted suicide twice.
Later he appeared and she went back to school and became a business consultant. However, she didn’t speak out about the attack until 2017, when a New York Times reporter approached her hoping to find stories of Weinstein victims in connection with the MeToo revolution.
Rowena says she is now opening up about the attack, as the MeToo revolution has often focused on the voices of white victims or famous victims.
“I think it’s important for so-called ‘normal’ people, non-celebrities, to speak up as well, and as a Chinese woman, I’m a voice for diversity because women of color are often in a position more vulnerable.” ”
Rowena says it’s important to remember that there are more people like Weinstein and if nothing changes in society, other people will be allowed to commit the same crimes.
“While other people keep silent and look away and let him get away with it, while there are lawyers taking money from him to negotiate brutal non-disclosure agreements with young people women, then another person can come and abuse their power like Harvey did.”
Interview by The Sun
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