"Rape has nothing to do with the choice of clothing."
The Facebook post was from a police station in a town in Southern Luzon, but what it says rings true for the entire country and, in fact, anywhere that a culture conducive to rape prevails.
“Kayo naman mga ghErlsz, wag kayo magsuot ng pagkaikli-ikling damit at pag naman nabastos ay magsusumbong din sa amin (As for you, girls, refrain from wearing skimpy clothing such that when you get disrespected, you call our attention),” said the Lucban Municipal Police Station in Quezon province.
The post has since been deleted, after thousands shared it and reacted angrily to it. Eventually, the town’s police chief, Maj. Rizaldi Merene, admitted they were wrong and apologized.
The message was roundly criticized on social media, as people pointed out how the police station’s post validated a propensity for blaming victims of rape for their predicament.
But rape has nothing to do with the choice of clothing. Rape is a crime that asserts the aggressor’s power over the victim.
The police station did have some words for men: “Mahalin natin ang mga kababaihan at huwag nyo abusuhin ang kanilang kabaitan (Let’s love women and not abuse their kindness),” the message went.
The admonition is pitifully misguided and inadequate. Rape is so much more than abusing anybody’s kindness. It is, instead, feeling entitled to have your way with another human being.
Some comments on social media provide a window into how ingrained victim-blaming is in our culture. A man said there were few rape cases during martial law because women did not wear short shorts or thin blouses then. A broadcaster chimed in: “Sexy ladies, careful with the way you dress up! You are inviting the beast,” addressing a critic as “hija” in an unmistakeable gesture of condescension.
A beast will be a beast in any circumstance. Instead of focusing on what may be deemed inviting to potential rapists, we should change the thinking that rape is a result of what a woman does or does not do. Women should not be taught what or what not to wear. Rapists have no excuse for raping, and they must not be encouraged further by a culture that places the burden on a woman’s shoulders alone.
We are all a product of our time. Our opinions are shaped by our background and education, and the examples we saw while growing up. But now that we are in a position to observe how the world is, and how it should evolve, and how dated beliefs cause disadvantage and injustice to many, then we should take an active role in overhauling our mindset. It is our duty to help make the world more just and less oppressive—even as we are surrounded by “strongmen” who are stuck in the past and who expose themselves for the bigots, misogynists, and beast-enablers that they are.