Name: Jonabelle Salarza Papa Section: BSED-SCIENCE 1A

STOP VICTIM-BLAMING

What did you wear? How much alcohol did you consume? Why didn't you start screaming? Why didn't
you escape? One of many questions a police officer would ask a rape victim or complainant. It only
shows that the Philippines or the world has a long way to go in dismantling rape culture and obtaining
gender equality.

According to statistics, "one woman or child is raped every 53 minutes." Only about 15% of rapes are
reported to the police. The number of cases of child rape, is far higher than that of women, The number
of child rape cases decreased from 464 in March to 294 in April, but immediately increased to 488, or
65.99 percent, in May 2020. Even in the midst of a pandemic, sexual violence can occur under any
circumstances. During the community quarantine, an average of eight people are sexually assaulted
every day in the country. According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), 602 people were raped
Across the country from March 17 to May 23, an average of eight persons each day. When compared to
the 1,289 cases reported between January 9 and March 16, before the government implemented
quarantines to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the statistic is 53% fewer, or 18 victims
per day on average.

One of the hundreds of young women who experience sexual violence is Lori. She was 7 years old when
she was first raped.

But that day, Lori's 23-year-old uncle called them all in.

The 2009 rape was the beginning of a series of rapes, averaging twice a week for more than 3 years -
"much more when there are no classes". This usually happened before lunch, between 11 am and 12
pm, on Saturdays and Sundays, when his uncle was out of work. "I blamed myself because they were
abusive," Lori said.

Lori doesn't know exactly what started happening to her two sisters, but the three girls were helpless, as
they regularly witnessed each other being raped. And he told us, "If you tell your mother, I'll kill her."

Incest is derived from the Latin word incestuous, which means "unclean" or "unmodest." Sexual
coercion between family members is defined as rape or incest.

This is the unfortunate reality because we assumed that most rapes were committed by strangers.
However, the vast majority of rapes are carried out by someone known to the victim. Friends,
colleagues, family members, partners, or ex-partners can all be perpetrators. The "stranger myth"
conveys the incorrect message that a sexual assault committed by someone known to the victim is not
rape.

It's made worse by the fact that rape victims find it difficult to speak up due to Filipino culture. The idea
that what a woman wears might cause a guy to rape her is based on deeply held assumptions about
male and female libido. In actuality, women are raped or abused despite being covered in any style of
attire. No piece of clothing invites sex or implies consent. It makes no difference what a woman was
wearing when she was raped. It is never the victim's fault that they are raped. The first step toward
changing society's attitudes that further hurt sexual assault victims are to recognize that sex without
consent is rape.

However, women have not always lived in the shadow of sexual assault.

Over the weekend, a controversial Facebook post and the Twitter hashtag # HijaAko trended as online
protests against blaming rape cases on victims' clothes rose. On June 14, 2020, it sparked a passionate
debate on the country's alleged rape culture, sparking more than 50,000 tweets.

It was in response to a now-deleted Facebook post from the Lucban Municipal Authorities Station in
Quezon Province, which urged women against wearing scant clothing because it could lead to sexual
harassment, according to local police.

“Kayo naman mga gherlsz, wag kayo magsusuot ng pagkaikli-ikling damit at pag naman nabastos ay
magsusumbong din sa amin. Isipin nyo rin,” the June 11 exact post of Lucban police.

Pangilinan was one of the Filipinos who expressed displeasure with the post, saying “Stop teaching girls
how to dress?? Teach people not to rape.”

Tulfo, on the other hand, used the term "hija" to criticize singer-songwriter Pangilinan's condemnation
of rape culture on Facebook and Twitter. Tulfo commented on Pangilinan's statement, saying: “A rapist
or a juvenile sex offender’s desire to commit a crime will always be there. All they need is an
opportunity when to commit the crime. Sexy ladies, careful with the way you dress up! You are inviting
the beast.”

He is not satisfied with his tweeter post, so he also uploaded a screenshot of Pangilinan's post with the
caption “Bago natin sila baguhin, baguhin muna natin ang sarili’t pag-iisip natin. Gets mo Hija? Tatay mo
ang author ng Juvenile Law.” It is the country's current policy for dealing with minors who have broken
the law. And called her “the wannabe smart aleck.”

Tulfo was quickly corrected by Kakie, who rebuked him on his antiquated view of women and
rape.“Rape culture is real and a product of this precise line of thinking, where the behavior is
normalized, particularly by men,” she said. “The way anyone dresses should not be deemed as
‘opportunity’ to sexually assault them. Ever,” she added.

The hashtag #HijaAko was then used by online users, including celebrities, to relate their personal
stories of sexual assault and raise awareness of the crimes. They claimed that rapists should be held
accountable for their crimes rather than blaming it on the way women dress.

As a new form of protest, numerous online users used the hashtag #HijaAko to publish horrific stories of
children as young as seven years old who were raped by relatives or close family acquaintances as proof
that sex criminals are careless about their clothes.
We can no longer confine ourselves to the Maria Clara stereotype of a demure and retiring Filipina
woman. We should avoid this thinking and recognize the realities of a woman's dynamic role in society
today; she has evolved into a strong, boldly clever, and beautiful woman capable of fighting for her
rights over the years.

I'm not standing here to win sympathies; rather, I'm here to raise awareness and break the normality of
victim-blaming. We must remember that victim-blaming and shame are not acceptable. They can be
extremely harmful. It creates an atmosphere in which people are afraid to share their personal
experiences.

I'm not a psychologist, a domestic violence expert, or a sexual assault survivor (and I never dream of it).
I’m just one woman who wants everyone to be open because I believe that "a lesson learned is a lesson
shared". But, aside from that, I want everyone to learn how to listen and refrain from judging, doubting,
or criticizing others because you never know what is the real story.