Geo Celestino, a netizen, shared his sister’s negative experience after she was allegedly bullied by the UST Office for Student Affairs.
Namolestya ang kapatid ko
He started the Facebook post by saying, “My Sister Was Bullied by UST Office for Student Affairs. Namolestya (molest) ang kapatid ko, at siya pa ang sinisi.”
He said that his sister was molested while inside a UV Express when she felt a hand touching and going up her leg. She then took a photo of the molester, who was identified as an engineering student, and posted the photo on social media, with a warning telling women to keep themselves safe.
However, things took a turn for the worse, as her well-meaning gesture was tagged as falsely accusing another student, and she was called in by the UST SWD Board.
She was asked to apologize to her molester
After being questioned for the post that she made (and was asked to take down), she found out that the man who molested her was a 5th year engineering student.
Apparently, his family found out about the entire situation, and that was the reason why there was a case filed against her. During the hearings, she felt that anything she said during the hearing had fallen on deaf ears.
Her brother added that it was because she was a woman, that’s why she was treated as such by the board.
He writes, “On the last day of the hearing, she was waiting outside the room when the secretary cried in pity for her. For the first time, my sister felt she wasn’t alone. She felt like someone finally understood what she was going through. Sabi niya, ‘di na siya nag-effort magsalita dito. Dahil alam niyang may pinanigan na yung Board. Dahil alam niyang yung severe sanction eh pwedeng umabot sa expulsion. Dahil mahal niya sina Mommy at Daddy at ayaw na niyang makadagdag sa iniisip nila.”
The board also wanted her to apologize to the 5th year student, her molester. Her brother said that she did it just to get it over with.
Victim blaming and rape culture
These days, we hear terms such as victim blaming, and rape culture, not just on social media, but also on mainstream media. Rape culture goes beyond the sexual act; rape culture is an environment where sexual violence, or the threat of sexual violence is an ever-present threat for women.
Rape culture includes victim blaming, or placing the blame on the victim; saying that it was because of her behavior that she was raped, tolerance of sexual harassment, saying “boys will be boys” when it comes to sexual assault, perceiving manhood as dominant and strong, while womanhood is perceived as submissive and weak, as well as numerous other types of behavior that victimize women, or putting them in a situation where rape is their fault.
Rape culture is not only fundamentally wrong, but it also propagates negative behavior and degrades all women. As parents, we never want our kids to go through something like that, nor do we want our children to be the ones to propagate rape culture. That’s why at a young age, we should teach them to treat women, and everyone for that matter, with respect.
We should avoid using language that objectifies or degrades women, and victim blaming should also be avoided. Consent is also a very important lesson to teach older children, especially teens. Teaching children to be respectful of other people’s physical space, is also helpful.
Sources: facebook.com, kami.com.ph
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