There was news on television the past few days about a woman who went to Tondo to attend the fiesta celebration with her boyfriend and friends and ended up in the police station wailing and in shock. She was raped by many and had to jump from the second floor of the house to flee or to escape the transgressors. She was seen without her pants and panty on waving to a barangay service vehicle. She was limping, probably getting a fracture from the jump.
Where was the boyfriend? He was nowhere in that news report. Maybe one of the perpetrators? We really do not know. But it is very sure that she was not taken good care by her supposed to be valiant knight ready to protect her any time.
Should we readily blame the girl because she could have probably showed that she was an easy girl, or maybe she was wearing a mini skirt or a revealing dress? Was that enough reason for someone or for some people to rape her? The girl was wearing only a simple black shirt in that news report, by the way.
If this is what our frame of mind should be, then all those lovely legged models and beauty pageant contestants best viewed in LCD HDTV will be raped one way or the other. And all those young ladies and women who wears clothes that reveal a little or more of the flesh will suffer the same fate.
The trouble with these holier-than-thou, goody-goody types of people is they forget that rape is carried out by mentally deranged individuals who force themselves on others because of that incapacity. How would these self-righteous people explain the rape of a six-month old baby, or that of a septuagenarian? Instead of blaming these mindless perpetrators, the whole accusation is on the victim. Are they really sure that their simple, tightly closed, unappealing apparel will save them from a raging bull that of rapist? God forbid.
Sometimes, being too much engrossed on the notion that one is better than the other because of the precepts they follow in life makes the whole thing more fake.
Warmstone 
I think it has something to do with our culture being patriarchal in nature.
Actually, in all cultures that practice monotheism (Judaisim, Islam, and Christianity), since God is portrayed as a man, there is a tendency of male superiority. Hence, different consequences crop up.
Particularly in sexual issues. When a woman sleeps with different men, she is called a whore, slut, skank, and whatever derogatory names people can think of. When a man sleeps with different women, he is praised for being sexually active or he is not notorious for it.
But clothing isn't a valid reason why rape happens; because whether it was miniskirt or jeans, the more important issue was why she was there (when she knew the place would be reeking of men).
Just my two cents 🙂
LikeLike
Sadly, Astrid. it was not men who were making assumptions about the girl's moral values and clothing.
In sexual issues, there is always this double standard of morality in the Philippines.
For me, it was a day of celebration. Therefore, there will be lots of people, men and women, girls and boys, young and old in that place. And even if there are a lot of men there, what gave them the right to do such an abominable thing to the poor girl?
The poor girl though could have assessed the situation and protect herself by avoiding a seemingly bad situation. But who knows? Still, they raped the girl and they should pay for it. No amount of reason that blames the girl could justify such act.
thank you for sharing your thoughts. appreciate it. 🙂
LikeLike
can i share a thought? ^_^
i also think this has to do with one's psyche (if that's the word)…i've read in a book about rape that it has nothing to do with how a woman dresses (but yeah it can be a factor) but it also has something to do with the rapists themselves…uh..there were lots of factors on why men could do these things…one of them is that they are kind of deprived of something or that they have these urges or thoughts that they hold to themselves making them somewhat frustrated and lashing it out on someone else…Since it's a fiesta, I have a strong feeling that probably most of them are drunk…and somehow these feelings that they have kept back have somehow risen to the surface and were lashed out at the poor girl…
another thing was contempt about women? i don't know if it can somehow be associated with the event but that's also another factor on why men do these…and probably would be triggered by something and wham! it happens…
i dunno…it was a psychology book i read when i was in college and the book was outdated so i dunno if those things still apply…
LikeLike
you are always welcome to share a thought, ruby! 🙂
i believe that the act of rape truly has something to do with the psychological being of a person. and what you read somehow makes sense. deprivation can be one of the causes.
but i believe more that it is a crime. it is a transgression against women, and those who commit this abominable act must suffer in jail.
LikeLike
Nobody has the right to say anyone deserves to be raped. I remember one case of a girl who claims to be raped after she went on a drinking spree with 5 guys she just met. She did incur my wrath for putting herself in such a position, but of course I didn't think she deserved it. This girl in the news story you shared, we don't know the background story. Maybe there was drinking. Maybe she was tricked. But of course she didn't deserve such heinous treatment.
About revealing clothes, I do not have anything against women who wear them, but I personally do not reveal much skin. Just a product of my upbringing, I must say. Although I did get into an argument with a fellow online teacher who would post pictures of herself wearing sexy clothes and advertising her services. I felt it inappropriate but she thought I was being all holier-than-thou and said “Hindi porke't ganyan magdamit maayos kang tao,” referring to my boring clothes. True. But my point was not being maayos as a person, but being maayos as a teacher.
LikeLike
There is no excuse for rape. The people who perpetrated this crime must be punished to the full extent of the law. Last I remember, the penalty for rape in the Philippines is death!
LikeLike
exactly, kat! nobody has the righ to say anyone deserves to be raped. we cannot deny the fact that there was somehow neglect on the girl's part. as i've said, she could have assessed the situation and thought of the possibilities. in short, dapat nag-ingat din. pero di natin alam ang totoong sitwasyon. we could only make assumptions.
that is a different thing with your co teacher. kung ako yun, at kaibigan ako, i would appreciate the concern. sometimes, there are women who deliberately does the flaunting for whatever reason. but there are women who are really comfortable in what they wear though for some it is appalling or repulsive. pero kung out of the blue ay biglang nag post sa net ng revealing pics e me masasabi ka talaga. di naman kaya me purpose din? 😀
hi, tambay. agree. there is no excuse for rape. wrong deeds should not be left unpunished. marami pa silang mabibiktima kung di mahuhuli. di rin naman reason na lasing sila at di alam ang ginagawa.
thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
LikeLike
Hello, nice blog you?ve put together here. I really liked reading your post. I noticed it this morning and soon found that it was enjoyable, so it motivated me to add a note. I have a feeling several others will probably have the same view about this topic. So, I?ll return soon when I have more time to read more. This is strange, but I was just calling my room mate regarding it, so this information was just what I needed. I will bookmark this blog and get the RSS link also. Thanks very much.
LikeLike
there is a proper way to dress when going to events and the woman was a little short of the decorum, esp attending a fiesta where people have the tendency to get drunk with the festive mood. In short, she was asking for trouble with her flimsy attire but in the end, that is no reason for her to be raped. We don't know what happened but if she was in a decent neighborhood, she would have been treated with respect. It is tragic 😦
LikeLike
Short skirts do excite men and tempt them to do wrong. Men just have natural impulses that they must control. However, some men do not want to control themselves and be decent and respectful towards women. This does not mean that women should have their freedom restricted. It means that sufficiently strong deterrents and consequences are needed to keep ungentlemanly men civilized. Historically, men have been subject to whipping for such crimes. In a day and age where women are wearing skirts above the knee, there has been no time where the men more urgently need the threat that the lash will be applied to their bare backs or the cane applied to their bare backsides.
LikeLike
i agree that there is a proper way to dress, bw. but the news did not tell what she was wearing. though i saw that she her tee shirt was a simple black t-shirt. and because she was found not wearing anything under, i couldnt tell. still, there is no reason for rape.
you have nice thoughts there, richard. women have to be given the freedom to express themselves by way of dressing themselves. i believe, it is not enough reason that any woman should be violated because she wears something provocative as seen by others, and especially by men.
LikeLike