Now that animals are raped too, we cannot simply blame how they dress. We can only blame the perpetrator and the half-blind culture of letting sexual violence slip thorough the cracks.
If someone get sexually assaulted, some may argue, “ano ba kasing suot niya?”
But on normal Saturday night, a 50-year-old vendor, alias “Doming,” was caught sexually abusing a dog in Barangay 69 Anibong, Tacloban City. While the news is quite shocking, it is not the first time the Philippines has recorded this kind of incident. Perhaps, it is even disturbing of how many animals sexual abuse cases has been in the headlines.
In 2014, a man was caught allegedly having sex with a pregnant pig last in Barangay Piyo, Tabogon, Cebu. Then the following year, 2015, a 46-year-old man was caught having sex with a cow in Silang town, Cavite, and later found out that he was possessing drug paraphernalia. And recently, just last year, a man allegedly raped a goat in El Nido town in Palawan, and the owner even caught the suspect doing it.
Domingo now faces charges under the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, which recognizes animals as living beings deserving of protection from cruelty, including sexual abuse. But what people can agree on is that this time, we cannot blame the victim.
A dog, with no revealing clothes and no ability to give consent, was sexually abused. It was an innocent animal with no capabilities of protecting itself from the hands of a predator. Yet it was still touched, violated, and raped.
Imagine, if we are so pressed about a dog getting abused, what’s stopping us from showing the same outrage when humans are sexually assaulted?
In many rape cases involving humans, many would rather shift the blame to the victim instead of the abuser.
“What was she wearing? Was she drunk? Why didn't she fight back? Why report it only now?"
What disgusting words to hear from fellow humans with the same level of emotional abilities. These questions have become so common to the point that many survivors are scared to speak out and speak up about their horrendous story.
Now, a dog cannot consent. It cannot choose to become part of a sexual act. It simply became the target of someone cruel enough and willing to commit abuse.
If an animal can become a victim despite having no revealing clothes, no words, and no ability to consent, then it is clear that the cause has never been the victim after all. This does not mean human and animal victims experience abuse in exactly the same way — they do not. But both cases point to the same truth and the same conclusion: sexual violence starts and ends with the abuser.
However, the outrage over the Tacloban case should not stop at condemning one suspect. Sexual violence is prevented not just by restricting victims but by curating a justice system that holds abusers accountable.
It is time to enforce the Animal Welfare Act stricter, cases of animal sexual abuse must be prosecuted without delay, and lawmakers must review existing laws to ensure stricter penalties.
Rape has never been caused by clothing, appearance, or the victim's actions.
Whether the victim is a woman or man, child or elderly, or even an animal, the fault was never theirs. It belongs to one person alone, the perpetrator.
