Women rights defenders call for vigilance in ensuring justice for raped woman vendor

By TANGGOL BAI
January 17, 2011

MANILA  –  Women human rights defenders today called for vigilance in ensuring that justice will be served for the woman vendor who was recently raped by a policeman in Manila by making the perpetrator accountable under the Anti-Rape Law.

“PO3 Antonio Bautista Jr. of the Manila Police District may be liable under the Anti-Rape Law of 1997, where the penalty of reclusion perpetua is imposed on offenders who is a member of the Philippine National Police, any law enforcement agency or penal institution, or the Armed Forces of the Philippines or its para-military units. We enjoin all women human rights defenders to remain vigilant in calling for justice for the 31-year old woman vendor,” said Cristina Palabay, convenor of Tanggol Bayi, the women human rights defenders programme of Karapatan.

Palabay said this continuing practice of prisoner rape, sexual humiliation, abuse and violence even inside the offices of police stations, jails, and military camps should stop. She cited the shadow report on the Philippines submitted by international NGO Just Detention International to the 42nd Session of the United Nations Committee Against Torture (April 2009), when they reported that, in one of the few official studies conducted on prisoner rape in the Philippines, four percent of 552 female jail inmates surveyed reported to the DILG that they had experienced sexual abuse while detained. Seven of the women had been raped, while others were subjected to abusive conduct including sexual touching, kissing, corrections officials exposing their genitalia, and attempted rape.