Women at War: Violence Against the Filipina (Part 1/2)
by Dine Racoma, Philippine Online Chronicle
March 6, 2012

Nora is a house helper now in her 50s. Her older brother’s friend raped her at the tender age of 14. Because of the shame of the rape, she was compelled to live as husband and wife with her abuser even at that age. She stopped school, depriving her the opportunity to get an education and to a better her life. By age 16, she became a mother. After 5 years of living together, Nora separated so that she was a single mom by the time she was 21. Given her lack of education and being burdened with having to raise a child when she herself was still one, she had few opportunities for employment.

Mina is a16-year old Chinese-mestiza attending an exclusive private school when she was raped by her boyfriend at a high school party. She was given a drink that was laced with something that made her groggy, and she woke up naked a few hours later with her boyfriend by her side. Her boyfriend told her it was making love since they were an item, even though she unsuccessfully struggled during the act. She never told her parents what happened because of the shame and because she blamed herself for being stupid. When she and her boyfriend broke up, she became promiscuous and has had a string of lovers in her young adult life.

Marga is a beautiful mother of 3 in her late 30s living in an exclusive village in Quezon City. She finished college at a private university and even has a nursing degree as an additional degree. By the time she was 37, she separated from her philandering husband after years of physical abuse. During their 17-year marriage, she was repeatedly hit, punched, slapped and beaten by her husband whenever they had fights. At one point, he pointed a gun at her in a fit of rage, threatening to kill her. He would even slap her in front of his own parents and siblings, and none of them would do anything to help her. She was constantly told she had to be a better wife to make the abuse stop. When they separated, her husband stopped giving any financial support, so she had to fend for herself to continue sending her three children to private schools. Today, she is financially independent as a luxury accessories reseller and is in the process of filing for annulment.

These three women come from very different backgrounds, but have all experienced some type of violence against women. Their status may be different, but their stories weave a common thread of abuse and violence. They represent the millions of Filipinas who are subjected to various forms violence, be it sexual, physical, emotional or economic.

Read full article @ www.thepoc.net