‘Snuggle with a struggle’: offensive T-shirt sold in Philippine stores mocks rape

An offensive T-shirt that trivialised rape has been removed from the shelves of shopping centres across the Philippines following social media outrage.

A photo of the dark blue T-shirt with the slogan: "It's not rape. It's a snuggle with a struggle" was posted by writer Karen Kunawicz on her Facebook page yesterday and it quickly went viral.

SM Supermalls said in a statement the message on the T-shirt was "unacceptable" and that it only found out about it through social media.

"We have immediately pulled out all the T-shirts of the consignor that distributes them," the mall operator said in a statement.

"Appropriate action will be taken to ensure this does not happen again. Thank you for informing us."

SM Supermalls, owned by the Philippines' richest man Henry Sy, operates 46 malls locally and has expanded to China.

Ms Kunawicz's Facebook photo of the T-shirt, which was displayed in the teen boys' section, was shared almost 3000 times and liked by close to 1000 people.

"I'm angry not just with SM but with the group of idiots that envisioned and actually produced this," one Facebook user said in a comment to Ms Kunawicz's post.

SM Supermalls said it was investigating how the shirt got into its inventory.