The police force of Angono, Rizal has apologized yesterday for posting a photo titled “Tips to Prevent Rape” earlier this week after netizens described it as victim-blaming and gender-insensitive.
Their apology, written in Filipino and English, said: “The Angono Municipal Police Station under the leadership of Police Superintendent Ruben M. Piquero is asking for an apology to everyone regarding our FB Post Tips to Prevent Rape. Our intention is to remind everyone to prevent them from becoming victims of rape. As the saying goes, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ Rest assured that the police force will ensure that peace and order will be maintained in the town of Angono.’
The controversial document that the police force posted included tips that didn’t sit well with netizens, such as:
- Don’t meet someone in person whom you have previously communicated via text or chat, especially someone whom you don’t know very well.
- Don’t wear skimpy or short clothes.
- Don’t walk in a dark place.
- If you’re on a date, don’t take alcoholic drinks.
- If you’re on a date, don’t leave your drinks behind because someone might put drugs in them that would make you lose consciousness.
The offensive post has since been taken down.
Majority of those who criticized it took issue with tip number two, because — and yes, this has to be said — women can get raped even if they’re covered from head to toe.
One person who has criticized it is Senator Risa Hontiveros, who posted a statement on her Facebook page that said: “While the intention of the information material may be good, it promotes victim-blaming by asking women to conform to a particular way of dressing in order to be respected and avoid being raped.”
Other netizens echoed the same sentiments.
On the Facebook of #BabaeAko, a women’s movement, Angeline Carlos wrote in Filipino: “So women have to adjust to men’s lusts? Whether we are dressed conservatively or not, it’s in a person’s mindset to rape someone. F*ck, what is rape? Natural phenomenon?”
Jel Ballesteros agrees, who wrote: “Dear Angono Police, telling men ‘don’t rape anyone’ is all [you need to say]!”
Yet some netizens genuinely think there’s nothing wrong with the Angono police’s idea. Also commenting on #BabaeAko’s Facebok page, Jkate Basa wrote: “There’s nothing wrong with what they wrote. Usually those are why people are raped.”
Also on #BabaeAko’s page, Chris Dominguez wrote a strong statement that would infuriate the page’s feminist members.
He wrote: “Saying that victims are NEVER to blame is stupid – the same stupidity some of the victims displayed when they agreed meeting with someone [whom] they just met on a dating app, or when they went drinking in (sic) a bar alone in the middle of the night, and when they stayed out late while wearing a whore’s uniform. Rapists must die but the victims must be chastised as well if they did something stupid… ‘if.’
In a phone interview with Coconuts Manila yesterday, Angono Police Superintendent Ruben Piquero explained the organization’s reasons for coming up with the tips.
He said in Filipino: “We are like parents, those are just tips, just reminders. About number two, we’re not stopping people from wearing skimpy clothes. But there was an incident here in our town where a woman was remembered by a rapist by the skimpy clothes she wore.”
Piquero added that the document was originally a printed leaflet that the police disseminated to Angono residents three months ago. During that time, there were no vociferous criticisms from the townspeople.
He also said that the police received no rape complaints since the fliers were given away, which he linked to the information drive.
“It’s been out for a long time. It was only recently that it came out on social media,” he said.
He said that the tips were drafted in consultation with victims and perpetrators, as well as Piquero’s perspective as a father to a girl. But he thinks there’s an upside to the negative press.
“We are consolidating people’s negative comments so that we can come up with an updated document. We are happy because the community has a reaction. This would help our campaign,” he said.
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