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Rodrigo Duterte slammed for ordering troops to shoot female rebels’ genitals

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has attracted widespread condemnation for encouraging violence against women by saying his soldiers should shoot female rebels in their genitals.

Mr Duterte made the remarks last Wednesday during a meeting with more than 200 former communist rebels who have surrendered, including 48 women.

The remarks went largely unreported because he was speaking in his native Visayan language.

In his speech, Mr Duterte talked about female fighters and said that soldiers should “shoot their vaginas” because “without that, they are useless”.

“Tell the soldiers, ‘There’s a new order coming from the mayor,’” the President said, recalling a directive he said he had given when he was mayor of Davao City.

“‘We will not kill you. We will just shoot you in the vagina.’”

Mr Duterte also expressed exasperation that some women preferred joining the communist rebel New People’s Army rather than raising children.

Representative Emmi De Jesus of the Gabriela Women’s Party said the remarks only confirm that Mr Duterte is “the most dangerous macho-fascist in the government right now”.

“He is dangerously pushing the fascist armed forces of the Philippines to commit more bloody human rights violations and grave abuses of international humanitarian law,” she said.

“He has further presented himself as the epitome of misogyny and fascism terribly rolled into one,” she added.

New York-based Human Rights Watch noted it was not the first time that Mr Duterte has made “misogynist, derogatory and demeaning statements” about women.

“It encourages state forces to commit sexual violence during armed conflict, which is a violation of international humanitarian law,” it said.

Last month, Mr Duterte came under fire for saying he would offer 42 virgins to attract tourists to visit the country.

In May last year, he told soldiers he would protect them against criminal charges even if they rape three women while implementing martial law in the southern region of Mindanao.

– With AAP

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