[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Women denounce Duterte rape joke’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Monday, May 29, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – Rape is a heinous crime and joking about it to please soldiers is dangerous, according to a group of women laborers.
“We are troubled. The President appears to be tolerating rape,” said Roxanne Javellana, spokesperson of the Kahublagan sang Mamumugon nga Kababainhan (KMK).
Speaking before soldiers when he visited Iligan City in Mindanao Friday last week after declaring martial law in the southern island, Duterte reiterated his support to the military, even to those committing rape, he said in jest.
“Trabaho lang kayo. Ako na bahala. Ako na magpakulong para sa inyo. Kapag naka-rape ka ng tatlo, aminin ko na akin ‘yun (Just do your job. I’ll take care of the rest. I’ll go to jail for you if you commit rape. I’ll take responsibility for it),” the President said.
That he made the joke while Mindanao is under martial law was doubly troubling, said Javellana.
“It has been recorded in our history how martial law was used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in sowing violence and abuses against civilians. They have been using rape and other forms of sexual violence to torture their women captives,” she said.
While KMK “stands in unity with the people and strongly condemn the terrorist acts of the Maute group in Marawi City,” Javellana said the President must be sensitive to the plight and welfare of women and children, and joking about rape was uncalled for.
If human rights abuses happened even before the declaration of martial law, there is no assurance that civilians, especially women and children, will be protected against these abuses, she warned.
“We call on President Duterte to uphold people’s rights and welfare above all and lift martial law now in Mindanao,” said Javellana.
The joke also caught international attention, with the daughter of former US senator and first lady Hillary Clinton calling Duterte a “murderous thug” on social media.
On Saturday, Chelsea Clinton posted on Twitter: “Duterte is a murderous thug with no regard for human rights. It’s important to keep pointing that out and that rape is never a joke.”
Clinton, who is vice chairman of her parents’ Clinton Foundation, also slammed Duterte’s war on drugs, which has resulted in more than 2,500 deaths based on police figures since the drug campaign began in July 2016.
International rights groups, however, claim 9,000 deaths though they have not backed this up with proof that these were extrajudicial killings./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
