Sexual violence
has been a controversial topic these past few days because of it being a
subject of a "bad joke." Different reactions were conveyed by the
critics and supporters of the presidential candidate who cracked the
joke, and a lot of websites have different versions of the story. But,
have you ever wondered how this cruelty became rampant in the our
society?
A screen grab
of a Facebook post was published by "The Malaysian Feminist" last 24
March. It shows pictures of ladies who are using the public
transportation in their alluring and revealing outfits. The post was
captioned: "In case anyone needs to be reminded that rape culture exists
and is very real."
The post earned
a lot of negative comments condemning these girls. One comment reads:
"These two girls deserve to be raped due to their choice of clothing."
Another said: "She's asking to get raped is it? Then kena
However, TMF
would like to erase the concept that sexual maltreatment starts from the
girls' way of dressing up and acting because it is a crime that begins
in the intention of the suspect and not the victim. TMF concluded their
statement by saying: "To everyone talking about dressing modestly,
appropriately and decently, remember this. The problem is not the way
women dress. It's the rapists . Stop focusing on the clothes. Focus on the rapists."
While it is
true that cases of sexual violence should not be blamed to the victims,
we have that personal responsibility to take care of ourselves. Respect
is not given but earned. We should make that conscious effort to build
our identity to be respected.
