#ashcodetraining

puri • n.

a good name, good reputation 

 what people think and say the character of a person or thing is, character in the opinion of others 

With all the happenings in social media involving being called out people for being too sexual in their social media profiles, being messaged indecent proposals, and being treated as if they are some kind of sex material, it is only correct for people to learn and be educated about the causes, effects, and repercussions of sexual harassment.

In this module, we were enlightened with the various sanctions people may be put upon once they have done specific cases of sexual harassment. The discussion linked itself to the University of the Philippines Anti-Sexual Harassment Code approved by the UP Board of Regents on its 1324th Meeting that applies to all student, teaching, and non-teaching personnel of the university.

For the nth time, it is not the victims’ fault that they have been harassed; it is always the perpetrators’ fault! The victim blaming mindset should be regarded in this macho-feudal society.Every incident that reminds a person they are likely to experience abuse if they speak out or stand up teaches them to shrink and hide. Sexism isn’t just about individual events, but about their knock-on impact – how they change the way an individual moves through the world.

Of course, the fact that this long-term impact often manifests itself in victims moderating their own behaviour is also indicative of the extent to which our society focuses on the actions of victims rather than perpetrators. As we become used to the idea that it is “normal” for women to stick in protective groups on nights out, or text when they are safely home, we also create a parallel norm: that harassment and assault are natural and even expected parts of life, rather than deliberate, criminal acts undertaken by people who should be tackled.

It just feels like we are always putting the mindset that everyone should be prepared for harassment, and if you didn’t it will be your fault; where in fact, we can instead teach everyone to control their libido and learn to respect every member of the society. And we should take away their freedom with such level of stupidity, never.