According to the Philippine Commission of Women, the number of rape incidents reached an all-time high in 2009, with 9,485 reported cases.
How many of them were showing off their breasts, or wearing skimpy, butt-hugging skirts? How many were drunk and stoned? I’m betting my meager salary it’s barely half. The problem is many people think that women get raped not because the rapists have serious mental issues, but because the victim opted to show off her nice legs in sexy shorts. The effect: the victim-blaming attitude, a culture where victims are seen to be as guilty as the perpetrator. There is fear and shame of being branded as a rape victim, because in some narrow-minded perspective, it also means being branded as a whore. What is horrible about this is that there might have been more than 9,485 rape victims in 2009 - victims who'd rather keep their predicaments in the dark than face the Idiot Society's judging eyes. This is only one of the many results of the victim-blaming attitude.
In some societies, women who are raped and are unable to provide explicit evidence are sometimes accused of zina, or having unlawful sexual relations, the punishment of which is usually public death by stoning. In the Philippines, the unjust retaliation to victims is less severe. People may openly blame her for the rape. The victim may be called a slut, may be seen as someone who deserved the rape, who asked for it.
Regardless of the weight of negative societal response, the cause is the same – blatant stupidity. Think this: If the reason why women are raped is because they dress in sexually provocative manner and have liberal points-of-views, then why do veiled women in the Middle East get raped? These are women who are covered head-to-foot on abaya, whose faces and hair are concealed in a veil.
The fact: The way a women dress, or even the fact that she sleeps with random men every single night is not a yes to sex. When a girl says no, she means no, regardless of what the fuck-me heels seem to say.
So if it is not the exposed boobs that motivate a rapist, what does?
Not your body, I just want to see you bleed
Rape, while considered as a sexual crime, is most often done in service of a non-sexual motivation, meaning that arousal and desire are not the main motivators of a rapist. Dominance and aggression play a bigger role in the occurrence of this crime. Forced sex is used to express anger. Some case workers believe that the act of rape is a manifestation of rage originally directed toward a wife or mother, but is displaced to a person who is less threatening - in this case, the rape victim.
Sexual sadists who take pleasure on hurting their victims do not necessarily get gratification from the act, but the fact they are causing pain and humiliation.
Not you, I just want to assert my dwindling self esteem
In some cases, the rape may stem from the desire to assert dominance over another person, even if the person involved is not necessarily the intended target – again it is an issue of displacement.
During the American-Japanese war, hundreds of Filipinas were captured and made to provide sexual service to the Japanese army. This showcase of dominance and power might not have just stemmed from pure and simple libido, but the desire to emphasize their supremacy over the Filipino people and those who opposed them. By essentially besmirching their enemy’s women, the perpetrators render their opposition less threatening.
Another possible cause for rape is the desire and obsession to fulfill a sexual fantasy that a perpetrator might think impossible because he has severely depressed self-esteem. A person who might think that no woman in her right mind would sleep with him might turn to rape to experience sexual gratification. Basically, the victim can be anybody. The victim might be a perfectly respectable woman in her society’s standards, but is just unlucky to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
No, it is not the sex, I do it because you are less of a person than I am
Amnesty International puts forth the premise that violence against women feeds on discrimination and serves to reinforce it. This way of thinking is supported by societal and even religious norms, especially those who believe in the dominance of the male sex. It can be seen in many male-dominated societies that women are seen as “property” by their fathers, brothers, and husbands. This belief is catalyst to the discrimination women are subjected to, including sexual oppression and abuse.
Another blatant form of discrimination, hate crimes against the LGBT community are punctuated with numerous rape cases, many of which are directed to lesbians. When perpetrators are asked about their motives, many of them would reply that they committed such crime in order to “put the woman in her proper place,” to “teach the woman to act more womanly.” Putting someone in her place with the use of sexual violence becomes the primary motive for committing the rape - the belief of these perpetrators that they have the God-given right to make sure that societal gender roles are followed. These are excuses. At the end of the day, it is still a manifestation of extreme machismo, discrimination and gender inequality.
So, given the psychological and societal motivations of rapists, here is the question: Is being drunk a justification of rape? And what about wearing those oh-so-revealing miniskirts?
I really, really hope you know the answer.
A/N: Special thanks to my consultant, Ms. Dianne Mandal.
