In the Philippines, every Filipino family carries an unspeakable secret—a secret kept behind the walls and the curtains within their own homes. An unknown truth not because it didn’t happen, but because many are afraid that it’ll ruin their fellow family member’s dignity and overall being. Many remain silent, who would believe them that it happened anyway?
Incest rape is a form of sexual assault that continues to silence many voices through fear and the pressure to protect those people who harmed—affecting you physically and psychologically for a long period of time. Yet, incest rape victims face a different coping mechanism to face this trauma: by protecting the image of their own family suggestion that did the same disturbing things to them.
Rape has been a common reason behind the rising cases of teenage pregnancy, specifically around the age of 15. According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2024, over 3,600 girls who gave birth were involved with older men. It is often the older ones as they know that teenagers are easier to manipulate—that they can use their maturity and power to play young minds.
Sexual assault doesn’t just stop with those with a baby inside a child’s womb—it also goes for the uncles who slowly make their move to touch a young girl yet is mistaken as a sign of “paglalambing” when it clearly is an uncomfortable move. It also goes to their uncles who forced them to watch pornographic videos during private lectures in a four-cornered room of the house. And after, they are forced to act normal like everything’s alright.
Traumas don’t go silent just because they want to protect the image of their predators; but also for being bribed. Money is powerful indeed, and it has made a perfect barrier between the fortunate and the less fortunate. Just like how older men easily manipulate a girl by saying, “Eto 500, ‘wag mo sasabihin kay mama mo ah.”
Out of 7, 418 victims of sexual abuse, 2, 770 of them are incest victims, according to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) from 2011 to 2016. The department knows that it is not fully accurate as incest assaults as well as happen in all forms of social class, across the nation.
Most chose to neglect the heavy trauma they once faced as a child and a teenager. They remain silent because it is the same face they see at the dining table, living room, and family gatherings. They did not speak up to benefit them, they remained quiet because they are afraid that it may tear the family apart. And so, it still remains behind the walls that knew it all.
