Death of flight attendant spurs calls against rape culture

The recent death of 23-year-old Christine Dacera sparked online calls for justice and condemnation of rape and victim-blaming. 

The Philippine National Police has branded the case as “solved” following the arrest of 3 suspects charged with rape and homicide.

#JusticeForChristineDacera went viral overnight, with Filipinos preempting the usual narrative of blaming victims’ clothing and level of intoxication by reiterating that “rape is only caused by rapists.”

Other related tweets like #StopVictimBlaming, #ProtectDrunkGirls, and Rape is Rape also went viral.

“Teach your men that vulnerability isn’t a form of consent,” says netizen Christy Prejido in a Facebook post. 

Beyond calling for protection for "drunk girls," celebrity and gender advocate Kakie Pangilinan says women should be treated with respect and basic human decency in the first place. “We would prefer your respect over your protection. We’re not pretty things that need constant guarding. We’re human beings,” Pangilinan tweeted.

Even the law did not define rape as caused by victims’ clothing and condition, says Twitter user @brightwintay.

People also brought up that this case is a product of sexism that runs deep, rooted in centuries of inequality between men and women. “Blame centuries of male privilege. Blame men who won’t acknowledge it. Blame men who tolerate it,” says user @sergiewonder.

Questions surrounding the true cause of Dacera’s death are still hounding the case, with netizens demanding more evidence.

However, some users say it is unfair to post and share photos of suspects — Dacera’s friends — given that the case remains unsettled and the suspects are not yet proven guilty. – Rappler.com