Victim-blaming allows more rapes to happen, more cases to go underreported, say experts

Overnight, outrage poured out from all over the country after news of the suspected rape and killing of 23-year-old flight attendant Christine Dacera made headlines.

Soon after, however, speculators came up with questions such as, “bakit kasi nakipag-inuman siya sa mga lalaki?”, “bakit kasi siya sumama sa mga ’yun?” and “ano ba suot niya?”

If you find yourselves among the people asking these questions, you yourself have just promoted rape culture and victim-blaming, a prevalent problem in the country.

Victim-blaming, Cham Perez from Center for Women’s Resources told GMA News Online on Tuesday night, is any action or words that “suggest that a victim of a crime, such as sexual assault, is to be blamed for what happened to them.”

“Victim blaming is disturbing and dangerous as it finds the victim at fault for the abuse, violence and crimes that have been committed against them, rather than hold the perpetrator accountable,” she said.

Perez added, “Statements like this assume that the victim is to blame for the abuse or violence. Those who blame victims often believe that the victim deserved what happened to them because of the way they dress or act. But in reality, this abuse is a conscious decision made by the perpetrator.”

Victim-blaming should be stopped, EnGendeRights executive director Clara Padilla told GMA News Online on Tuesday.

“It’s a total lack of understanding of violence against women and disregard of women’s rights,” said the women’s rights lawyer.

“It is harmful because within this culture of victim blaming, women are told to change their own behavior in order to avoid being assaulted or raped,” Perez said. “Women are told repeatedly not to dress provocatively, not to drink alcohol, not to go out with male friends, and not put themselves in risky situations. This feeds on the belief that women are at fault when they are attacked, and leads to a lack of accountability for the perpetrators, thus impunity prevails.”

According to Padilla, rape culture manifests in the “failure of schools, families, and society in teaching advancing the rights of women.”

“When women say no to sex, men should respect that,” the lawyer said, “That’s basic, otherwise, it’s called plain and simple rape and those who commit rape belong in jail.”

During a recent Thomson Reuters virtual session, University of the Philippines Department of Psychology assistant professor Beatriz Torre said that while those who blame the victim may think they are doing it “in the guise of concern,” this will still have a negative impact on the men and women who have already been through such a traumatic experience.

“It leads to secondary victimization,” Torre said. “So na-victimize ka na nga ng rape, that’s already a traumatic experience that can cause psychological distress and then if you choose to report it, if you tell people about it, they’re response is disbelief or blame like, ‘ikaw naman kasi, ’ it can heighten the psychological distress and delay recovery.”

Victim-blaming can also increase feelings of powerlessness, shame, and lower self-esteem.

“They may start to tell themselves, ‘baka kasalanan ko nga,’” Torre said.

This then can lead to more cases of rape and assault going underreported.

“Underreported siya kasi may fear na if you report it, people will say na, ‘it’s your fault, you should have done something to avoid it.’ Nakaka-victimize lalo ’yung ganong statements. Victims will rather avoid it,” Torre said.

According to Perez, the 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey showed that only three in 10 women victims of physical or sexual violence sought help to stop it.

“In the same survey, 27 percent of the respondents reveal that they never ask for help but tell someone while 38 percent of them never tell nor seek help,” she said. “Victim-blaming makes women feel anxious, fearful, embarrassed, and such comments discourage the victims from reporting their traumatic experiences.”

“Abuse and violent acts like rape and other sexual assault are always choices that individuals or perpetrators make. These abusers have a choice on how they are going to act in a particular situation. Thus, this is not about what the victim is wearing or doing. Rather, this is about the abuser’s sense of entitlement or privilege to do whatever he wants to do with the other person, oftentimes, a woman, whom the perpetrator sees as a sex object or a commodity that can be used,” Perez added.

After news on Dacera broke out, the hashtag #JusticeForChristineDacera took over the internet, with many netizens seeking justice and condemning any comment leading to victim-blaming.

Among them were celebrity Kakie Pangilinan, who tweeted: “It is never the clothes, never the drinks—never the victim, period. It is always, ALWAYS, the rapist’s fault. How many more times do we have to hammer this home for it to stick in your thick skulls, please??!??!”

Dacera’s case took hold of the nation after she was found lifeless in a Makati hotel room on New Year’s Day.

Three people have so far been nabbed and charged for rape with homicide while eight others remain at large.

On Tuesday, screen grabs of CCTV footage showed the incidents hours leading to Dacera’s death. – RC, GMA News