(Hong Kong, February 25, 2011) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is launching the AHRC Philippines Rights Cast, a podcast in local languages of the Philippines including Cebuano, and Tagalog. You can subscribe to this podcast using different software or feed readers: iTunes, Zune, ZENCast, MyYahoo, Google Reader, RSS Feed
The first episode can be individually downloaded here: Women–victims of ‘sex object’ & violation without protection (mp3 format 15.2MB)
Facts of the case
In Davao City, a member of the City council, Leah Librado, has “called on law enforcers to act on and threatens to cancel the business permit of “Sun.Star Davao Superbalita, a Visayan tabloid. She claimed that Sun.Star is one of those who publish “pornographic scenes on literature and other visual materials that treat women as sex objects and commodities”. The Sun.Star has denied the allegation.
In their editorial, the Sun.Star however acknowledged it was within Ms. Librado’s right, as a local legislator and advocate of women rights, that “there is indeed valid ground to censure those dabbling in pornography. Full text of their editorial: Editorial: Librado and drawing the line between law enforcement and censorship.
Discussion in this Episode
In the Philippines, the dominant argument which justifies why the violation and discrimination against women takes place is because of them being portrayed as ‘sex objects’ and ‘commodities’.
In this podcast it will argue that while it is valid that portrayal of women as ‘sex objects’ and ‘commodities’ is discriminatory; however, the system of criminal justice in reality have been unable to function to protect them from these.
To portray women as ‘sex objects’ or ‘commodities’ in itself is not a crime. They only become wrong, a criminal offense and violates women’s rights when they are put into action. This is when a woman, who is an object of desire by a man, is raped by him; or when a woman is sold and consumed for prostitution, either by men or women.
In the Philippines, there are numerous laws to ensure protection of women from violation and discrimination. There are laws against publication of lewd and obscene materials, on rape, on child abuse, trafficking of women, violence against women and so on.
But is censorship and subtle suppression of freedom of the press and freedom of expression justifiable because policemen and prosecutors fail to enforce laws that should have been protecting women? When the victims could not even obtain legal remedies on crimes from the criminal justice system, could obtaining remedies that is not a crime at all realistic?
Can you protect the rights of women by mere legislation of laws without having an effective mechanism, in real sense, to implement them?
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Note: You can help by transcribing this podcast into your local regional languages and in English. Contact us at: philippines@ahrc.asia
