According to the latest data collected by the Philippine Statistics Authority from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, more women were raped, physically assaulted, sexually exploited, and trafficked in 2019. (DSWD).
As per PSA data obtained from the DSWD, approximately 420 women were victims of human trafficking in 2019, up from 252 women in 2018.
Experts claim that only about 6% of actual cases of rape and sexual harassment are recorded, and that "not all of them still go on to be prosecuted in court," according to Torre.
Victim-blaming, which occurs when survivors are wrongfully accused and sometimes held responsible for the crime perpetrated against them, causes feelings of powerlessness, remorse, and guilt, according to her.
Rape is a violent crime that causes physical, socioeconomic, mental, and psychological damage to victims. It is still a major social issue in the Philippines and around the world.
The question of consent is at the center of sexual harassment and rape. Consent, in its most simple form, is the act of giving consent for anything to happen or be done. With this in mind, we use consent in almost any social or interpersonal interaction we have during the day, from asking to sit next to a stranger on the bus to ask a friend for a loan. These interactions force us to interact with another person, not to presume their level of comfort or reaction, to listen to their words as well as nonverbal signals, and to accept their response regardless of our feelings about it. It's no different when it comes to sexual consent. Consent is a continuous mechanism that can be withheld at any point during a sexual experience. This means that a person can consent to oral sex but not to vaginal intercourse, which can be considered sexual assault or rape if it happens.
This can happen everywhere, anywhere and can be anyone's victim. According to Republic Act 8353: Anti-Rape Law of 1997, if the rape will be committed with deadly weapons or by companion the rapist will be sentenced to reclusion perpetua to death, even if the occasion of rape will become a trauma to the victim it will receive a same penalty.
Acquaintance Rape is harassment from a friend, workmate, classmate or even in a family member. Trusted or not trusted, if you will be their victim they will go through it. You may scream or you may call for help but the trace of the pain and the harassment will never leave.
