The Supreme Court has ruled that men can also be victims of sexual violence and must receive equal protection under the law regardless of gender.

In a decision written by Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, the high court upheld the conviction of a woman for statutory acts of lasciviousness against her 11-year-old nephew.

The incident happened in 2018 when the boy was visiting relatives on his father's side. According to the court, the woman woke the child while he was sleeping, told him to undress and engaged in sexual intercourse with him.

The court rejected the woman's claim that the boy had consented, noting that the legal age of consent at the time was 12. The child, who was 11, was legally incapable of giving consent.

However, the high court clarified that the appropriate charge was statutory acts of lasciviousness under Article 336 of the Revised Penal Code, rather than an offense under Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

The court also cited Republic Act No. 11648, enacted in 2022, which expanded the legal definition of rape. It said the law's use of the gender-neutral term "person" means women can also be held liable for rape under circumstances covered by the law.

The high court criticized outdated, patriarchal views that portray rape as a crime committed only by men against women, saying these beliefs exclude male victims who experience similar trauma.

Failing to recognize men as potential victims of rape may also make it harder for them to realize that their dignity and bodily autonomy have been violated, the court said.

The woman was sentenced to nine to 16 years in prison and ordered to pay ₱250,000 in civil indemnity and damages.