A while back I blogged about a rape-defense product concept I had encountered while surfing the web. I received some pretty strong responses (both here and at a women's network) from women, all in agreement that they would not even consider using the device depicted. The primary concerns seemed to be 1.) The device would malfunction and actually harm the wearer and 2.) the rapist, incensed over his injury, would do more physical harm than originally intended.
This past weekend, I came across a similarly-themed product, called RapeX. Whereas the FemDefence product was simply in the conceptual stages, it seems as if this condom-esque barrier may already be available, at least in some markets. A prototype was developed and launched in South Africa in 2005, and the website indicates that it would be available worldwide by 2006, wherever standard condoms are sold. Personally, it's been quite some time since I have shopped for condoms, so I can't say for certain if my local drugstore carries this or not.
The concept of the RapeX condom is simple enough: a woman inserts it (with an included applicator, much like a tampon) whenever she feels she may need this sort of protection. Although she experiences no discomfort or danger from its use, the product will attach itself (by way of the plastic barbs inside the latex sheath) to any male penetration, causing enough discomfort (but no permanent injury) to the rapist, allowing the woman a chance to get away. The man would need to seek medical assistance to have the device removed properly.
The FAQs on the website indicate that there has been quite a bit of controversy over this product, including the concern that women will use it to "frame" a man. The creators indicate that while any product has the potential for abuse, the necessity for such an extreme form of intimate defense greatly outweighs the chances of potential abuse.
This product was developed in a part of the world that claims 55,000 reported rape cases in 2006, and an estimated 450,000 unreported cases. Worse yet, as dramatic as those statistics are, the numbers are only about half of what is reported annually in the United States.
What are your thoughts on this product, and others like it? Do you think the measures being taken are extreme and unnecessary? If so, how else can you imagine we should be addressing this problem?
2 thought(s) on the subject:
Humm, I kind of think that a product that protects a woman after penetration isn't really protecting her at all. Rape is usually a crime of violence. Not only is she being penetrated without her will, she's also being beaten. Many rapists are impotent and have trouble getting it up. (Statistically speaking). I'm just not sure how this product really helps.
What does work is a good old fashioned self defense class. I took one after being date raped at the ripe old age of 14 and then almost raped at a fraternity many years later (Long story made short: I managed to get away from the asshole). It saved me in more ways than one. Knowing that I knew how to kill someone with my bare hands somehow gave me the confidence to know that I did not have to take crap from anyone.
Well, my first thought was, "Wow -- that's rather extreme." My second thought, "Isn't the optimum solution NOT to put oneself continuously in situations where one may get raped." And my third thought was, "I'm being totally naive."
It may seem extreme and it may seem like there must be a better alternative. But there ARE parts of this World (some of them inside the U.S.), where woman are constantly and repeatedly abused. If THESE woman find this kind of device useful, then so be it. This was probably invented because there was a need for such self defense. True, they may also get beaten. But I'd wager that after a man's penis is in horrible agony, the victim will have an opportunity to get away.
I'm also in favor of a good self-defense class. But this may not be a viable an option for some woman in some parts of the world.
(OK... must find funny video on Youtube now...)
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