Sexual Harassment and Victim-blaming in the Philippines
“Ano bang suot mo noong nangyari ‘yon?”
Rape is one of the most common forms of Sexual Harassment crimes in the Philippines. According to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), rape ranked 3rd with the highest cases reported amongst other Violence Against Women (VAW) crimes, but this is not yet the whole representation. Because of social and cultural stigma, the statistics only represent one out of four crimes which makes Rape the most underreported violent crime. Victim blaming has been an aspect of a broader stigma surrounding sexual harassment.
Victim-blaming is an act that questions what a victim should have done to prevent an unfortunate event.
So, what is Sexual Harassment and how is it related to victim-blaming? According to Section 4 of Republic Act №11313 or the Safe Spaces Act, Sexual Harassment is committed through any unwanted or uninvited sexual actions or remarks against any person regardless of the motive for committing such. Victims of sexual harassment are often blamed and stigmatized caused by strongly held social and cultural beliefs. In a conservative country like the Philippines, conversations about sex and gender-based violence are taboo that most cases of sexual harassment go unreported.
On July 7th, Tuesday, Women@Thomson Reuters Manila hosted a virtual talk entitled Together, We Resist: Standing Up against Rape Culture and Victim-blaming, with guest speakers: Prof. Beatriz Torre from Department of Psychology, University of the Philippines Manila; Frankie Pangilinan, an actress, musician, and the daughter of Senator Francis Pangilinan; and Atty. Estrella Elamparo, a State Prosecutor of the Department of Justice. More than two hundred employees from member companies of the Women Inter-Industry Network attended the virtual talk, including Refinitiv. The speakers expounded sexual harassment and victim-blaming from its effects on the survivors, strongly held beliefs, legal remedies, to ways on how we can put an end to Sexual Harassment and Victim-blaming.
Social and Cultural Beliefs on Sexual Harassment
Prof. Beatriz Torre emphasized the reasons why victim-blaming is a serious problem and why it came to its prevalence. According to Prof. Torre, victim-blaming can lead to secondary victimization caused by responses of disbelief and blame towards the victim. It increases the victim’s psychological distress brought by the accident. It can also increase feelings of powerlessness, guilt, shame, and lower self-esteem. But why is victim-blaming so prevalent? Anchored to the belief that the world is fair and just, most of us believe that the unfortunate events were brought by someone’s lack of prudence, competence, and virtue. But this belief challenges us when we hear that someone was raped, as it causes discomfort and distress. Another dominant belief is that men are sexual aggressors and women are sexual gatekeepers.
“These narratives disregard the complexity of human sexuality”, said Prof. Torre.
“It wasn’t rape.” This statement has a silencing effect on survivors. Victims do not report the crime as they think this is not serious enough. This is also what we usually hear when harassment happened between a married couple or people with intimate relationships. It is when a partner gave unwanted sexual actions or remarks to the other, without permission. This is an example of Rape Myth Acceptance — a dominant and widely held belief wherein it validates male sexual aggression against women.
“She asked for it.” Women usually get blamed and accused of doing something (e.g. wearing shorts or revealing clothes) that provoked the offender. But is it only women who are victims of this narrative? According to Prof. Torre, anyone can be a victim of sexual harassment, regardless of gender. The members of the LGBT Community can also be victims of sexual harassment. Because of stereotypical thinking that sex is only for men and women, offenders perceive the change in gender preference as a signal that someone can be prey for their sexual advances.
“Rape is a deviant event.” This narrative validates the inability of an offender to control itself from doing the crime. When the offender has an uncontrollable sexual desire (e.g. an illegal drug user), it is the role of the victim to avoid this person.
Youth on the fight against Sexual Harassment and Victim-blaming
Not long ago, the #HijaAko movement topped Twitter, with many women sharing their own #HijaAko stories. Frankie Pangilinan, who is vocal on social media about her advocacies against Sexual Harassment and Victim-blaming, initiated this movement. She was praised and backed by many when she confronted Ben Tulfo, a journalist, when the latter posted a tweet saying that the way girls dress invites the beast.
“Rape culture is real and is a product of this precise line of thinking, where the behavior is normalized, particularly by men.” — Pangilinan in a tweet.
Nowadays, youth are becoming aware and empowered to speak about their #HijaAko stories. But it is also a culture of Filipinos to belittle the decisions and opinions of youth.
“Papunta ka palang, pabalik na ako.” An old narrative that is still very common to hear to this day. This limits young people to voice out their views and opinions about the issues in society. Because of their age, their opinions are sometimes disregarded.
According to Pangilinan, the Filipino brand of feminism is very different, and the whole culture of rape revolves around a sense of power and the desire to overpower someone. She also added that people in authority contribute to this situation with their statements.
“To reduce us to our youth or being not as experienced is very damaging. I’m not a kid, I’m an adult, and to dismiss us offhand is very damaging for us.”, said Pangilinan.
Legal Remedies for the Victims of Sexual Harassment
Atty. Estrella Elamparo explained the differences between Republic Act №7877 (Anti-Sexual Harassment Act) and the updated Republic Act №11313 (Safe Spaces Act). The former Act states that Sexual Harassment is criminal when it is committed by a superior in a workplace or in an educational, training institution. While the latter states that it is criminal when it is unwanted or uninvited, and committed by anyone.
So, how can we recognize if it is already considered sexual harassment? Sexual harassment has a wide array of forms with respective fines and required community service. Catcalling has already been a part of daily life for most women. But do you know that according to RA №11313, an offender who is guilty of catcalling could spend up to thirty (30) days in prison? The worst form would be an act that is accompanied by touching, pinching, and brushing against the body of the offended person, wherein the offender could spend more than ten (10) years in prison.
What can we do to combat Sexual Harassment and Victim-blaming?
Listen without judgment. One of the reasons why victims of sexual harassment prefer to not speak and stay in silence is the fear that people would say it was their fault and they should have done something to avoid it. Victims deserve to be heard with compassion and without judgment. We should break the taboo and start engaging ourselves in conversations about sex, gender, and violence against women. We should build an open space for ideologies and ideas that will break the stereotypes and will promote awareness and empowerment.
Build an environment free of toxic masculinity and misogyny. Let us begin by breaking the narrative that men are stronger and more powerful than women. This may seem advantageous to men, but this narrative also invalidates their emotional being. We can still hear people saying that women cannot do what men do, and men who cry are as weak as women. One way to produce an aware and educated generation is the consideration to include lessons on harassment and human sexual complexity at secondary and tertiary levels, and gender equality at the primary level, at least. Teach our children the importance of consent and gender sensitivity. This will bring a significant change and a much wider safe space for the victims of sexual harassment.
Elect responsible leaders. Leaders’ thoughts are manifested in people’s behavior. Elect a leader who will set a good role model; a leader who will stand up with the victims and will hold the culprits accountable; a leader who considers the welfare and safety of the people a top priority; and a leader whose purpose is to serve the people and not any political regime.
Speak up and use your platform to fight Sexual Harassment and Victim-blaming. Part of it is knowing your rights. Confront someone when you are not comfortable with how he or she acts towards you. Normalize sharing your own #HijaAko stories. Condemn criminal acts and be comfortable hearing a confession from a victim.
Many may not be aware of it, but there are voiceless people in the poorest areas of the Philippines. We can use our voices and platforms on their behalf to let the people in the position know that these issues exist, leading the nation to a level of development wherein no one is left behind. This is something a person or community can be done not only for the victims of Sexual Harassment but for the victims of a broken system. The change will never happen unless we demand it.
“Unrest only means that there is change coming. Do your part.” — Frankie Pangilinan
Increasing cases of sexual harassment is proof that this problem is still alive and well in the Philippines. While everyone battles the pandemic, many cases of VAW crimes have been reported. This is high time for us to be alarmed and more vigilant. Let us be more proactive in calling for a change. Educate ourselves and other people. In this digital age, we can find more ways on how we can reach out to people and spread awareness. Let the victims and survivors of sexual harassment know that they are not alone in this fight.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN (VAWC) HOTLINES
• Department of Social Welfare and Development
Hotline: (02) 8931–8101 to 07
• DSWD –NCR Ugnayan Pag-asa Crisis Intervention Center
Hotlines: (02) 8734–8639
(02) 8734–8654
(02) 8734–8626 to 27
• Philippine National Police (PNP)
Hotline: (02) 8723–0401 to 20
• PNP-Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC)
Hotline: (02) 3410–3213
• NBI-Violence Against Women and Children Desk (VAWCD)
Hotlines: (02) 8523–8231 to 38
(02) 8525–6028
• Philippine Commission on Women (PCW)
Hotlines: (02) 8736–5249
(02) 8736–7712
Fax Number: (02) 8736–4449
Sources
(n.d.). Retrieved from Philippine Commission on Women: https://www.pcw.gov.ph/focus-areas/violence-against-women/rape
Cruz, C. D. (2020, June 14). Spot.ph: Frankie Pangilinan Sparked The #HijaAko Movement In Defense of Women. Retrieved from Spot.ph: https://www.msn.com/en-ph/entertainment/celebrities/frankie-pangilinan-sparked-the-supernumberhijaako-movement-in-defense-of-women/ar-BB15AOr4
Emergency Hotlines. (n.d.). Retrieved from GOV.PH: https://www.gov.ph/hotlines#VAWC
Seventeenth Congress. (2018, July 23). The Lawphil Project: REPUBLIC ACT №11313. Retrieved from The Lawphil Project: https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2019/ra_11313_2019.html
The Criminal Justice System: Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from RAINN: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system
