Rape is a heinous crime, not a laughing matter

Rape is a gross violation of human rights and wholly not acceptable. No one, regardless of a person’s age, sex, physical appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, race, social status, disability, or profession deserves to be raped.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) records show that for the first half of 2015, reported rape cases went up to 8,288 from 5,069 cases during the same period in 2014.

Trivializing rape through jokes hurts persons who are suffering or may have suffered from the trauma of rape. It also hurts their families and workers who assist victims-survivors who directly see the repercussions of the crime. Rape should never be made a laughing matter; neither should it be used to threaten someone. The repercussions of rape jokes are serious and damaging; victim-survivors once more recount their horrible experiences and recall the pain and suffering.

We call on every man and woman, boy and girl to be mindful of this serious and alarming issue. Let us be cautious of what we say and how we react. Our thoughts, words and actions should be grounded with our principle of respect.  As citizens, we all have an indispensable role to play in creating a violence-free society. Let us dream and work collectively in creating a society where every person is valued, human dignity is upheld, and victims of despicable crimes such as rape are never denigrated to a laughingstock.