Gov’t ‘guilty’ of neglecting Okinawa rape victim — mission

By Charlie V. Manalo

07/25/2008

The Philippine mission that headed to Okinawa, Japan last week to look into the case of a Filipino woman who was allegedly raped by a US soldier yesterday said it found her allegations true and that “the Philippine government had been sorely remiss in providing her adequate and proper assistance.”

In a press briefing held at its office in Quezon City, officers of the Gabriela Women’s party-list group said the mission heard the testimony of the alleged rape victim, whom they called by the name “Hazel” to protect her dignity, and found it to be credible.

“We saw the medical records of ‘Hazel.’ ‘Hazel’ vividly recounted to us what transpired the night she was raped. And coming from the perspective of a women’s organization which has handled many cases of violence against women, we are fully convinced ‘Hazel’ was indeed raped,” Gabriela deputy secretary general Lana Linaban, who was part of the mission which had just returned to Manila recently, said.

“Just as tragically, while the Department of Foreign Affairs paints itself as concerned and supportive of ‘Hazel,’ the truth is they have callously neglected Hazel at a time when she needed help the most,” she added.

According to the team, Honorary Consul Ako Alarcon, Philippine Consulate in Okinawa, knew of ‘Hazel’s case the very same time the girl was hospitalized after the rape but it did not act to provide her with a legal counsel during the process of investigation to determine if there was probable cause for the case.

“Hazel,” the team said, was left to fend for her own during the whole process of investigation while she had no knowledge of the legal system in Japan, does not speak nor understand the local language and hardly knows anyone there because she had just arrived in the country three days before the supposed rape happened.

The mission team also said “Hazel” is one of the many Filipino women who become victims of human trafficking syndicates that undertake the illegal trade to provide for the “rest and recreation needs” of US soldiers stationed in the US military base in Okinawa.

“This scenario makes women, especially Filipinos working as entertainers in Okinawa, vulnerable to abuse,” Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza said.

“US soldiers in Okinawa have a long list of rape cases of women starting way back 1945. From 1985 to 2005 alone, there were 34 cases of rape committed by US military personnel stationed in Okinawa. But as in the experience of the Philippines, justice was denied the victims. The US has distorted and usurped the sovereign right of the country to prosecute US soldiers,” Maza asserted.

She said Manila should prod Tokyo into reviving the case which it had dismissed.

“‘Hazel’ must be served justice. The Philippine government must push the Japanese government to re-investigate the case. Wherever the US soldiers commit crime, sovereign countries should have the sovereign right to prosecute,” Maza stressed.

The mother of “Hazel” earlier aired disappointment over the Philippine government’s lack of action on her daughter’s case.

On Hazel’s 22nd birthday last June 5, Nanay Mely paid a visit to the office of Gabriela to seek help in calling on the government to press justice for her daughter.

According to “Nanay Mely,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had apparently just let go of the case after the charges against the American serviceman were dropped by the Japanese prosecutor’s office last May 16 due to lack of evidence.

The DFA, however, denied it has slept on the case, saying the department’s lawyers in Okinawa has already submitted the needed documents to the US military for it to initiate the conduct of court martial proceedings against the accused American soldier.

“Hazel” has alleged that she had been raped by the 20-something US serviceman after she went out with him for dinner in Okinawa last Feb. 18, or just two days after she arrived in Japan to work as a cultural dancer there. It was her first time to work overseas.

She said around 2 a.m., after dinner and several cocktails later, the American asked her to go to a hotel where he allegedly forced himself on her.

The US military base in Okinawa occupies about 20 percent of the province’s total area, as 75 percent of US forces in Japan is stationed on the island.

Back to top

For comments about this website:Webmaster@tribune.net.ph
The Daily Tribune © 2006