Feminist Group Performs Viral Anti-Rape Song Outside UN Building in Santiago

Members of Colectivo LASTESIS performed their viral song Un Violador en Tu Camino (The Rapist Is You) in Vitacura, Chile, outside of the UN Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean as it opened its session on January 28.

The song was created by Colectivo LASTESIS, a Chilean feminist performance and activist group that protests rape and violence against women. The group staged a flashmob in Santiago, Chile, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in November 2019, inspiring many others across the globe to do the same.

The lyrics translate to:
Patriarchy is our judge, that imprisons us at birth, and our punishment is the violence you don’t see,
Patriarchy is our judge, that imprisons us at birth, and our punishment is the violence you can’t see,
It’s pity for my killer, it’s our disappearances. It’s rape.
And it wasn’t my fault, not where I was, nor how I dressed,
And it wasn’t my fault, not where I was, nor how I dressed,
And it wasn’t my fault, not where I was, nor how I dressed,
And it wasn’t my fault, not where I was, nor how I dressed,
And the rapist was you. And the rapist is you.
It’s the cops. It’s the judges. It’s the system. It’s the president.
This oppressive state is a macho rapist.
This oppressive state is a macho rapist. Credit: Kat Olivera via Storyful