Trauma, shattered self-esteem, and the possibility of being infected by sexually transmitted diseases are the “freebies” that the 16 years old PUP student received from her rapists in the most recent media covered on-campus rape incident. Add those things to the possible public scorn and the stigma that will mark her and it is clearly apparent that her future is bleak.
Justice should be meted out immediately. These rapists do not deserve to live freely. They deserve to die slowly and painfully, their bodies hanged in a public square, with their bowels opened and their innards eaten by dogs.
Unfortunately, killing these lowlifes is not the solution. The recent rape incident in PUP is just a part of the bigger problem of campus violence that haunts the Philippine education system. Who knows how many students were raped and harassed by their professors, fellow students, and campus authorities and kept their mouth just out of fear and shame? State and private universities and colleges claim that their campuses are safe, but the truth is otherwise. Beneath those claims is the glaring truth that campus violence is alive and the recent rape incident in PUP is a testament to that, as well as the death of Cris Mendez in the hands of Sigma Rho fratmen and the rumors of professors that threatens their students with “kwatro o kwarto.”
Campuses are the microcosm of our society. It mirrors the state of our nation. Violence against women is prevalent in our society, thus it is no surprise that women can be harassed and raped inside an educational institution. To keep the Philippine educational system free from campus violence entails us to clean our society from the threats of violence, discrimination, and inequality. Campuses are part of our society, and because of this, news of rape, frat wars, and deaths inside the campuses will explode time and time again.
The Philippine society is in disarray and campuses mirror this state very well. This basic truth is distressing because educational institutions serve as a training ground for the future leaders and decision makers of our country. The prevalence of campus violence questions the quality of citizens and leaders these institutions produce.
Campus violence is well entrenched in the Philippine educational system and it is impossible to remove it in the foreseeable future. The only thing that we could do now is to make sure that all victims of campus violence receive the justice that they deserve.
May the victim of the recent rape incident in PUP get the justice that she sorely needs and may her case does not turn like the case of Cris Mendez whose murderers still roam free.
Filed under: Society | Tagged: campus violence, gang rape, PUP
