Apparently this news is two years old, but it's brand new to me.From Wikipedia
In 2005, inventor Sonette Ehlers introduced the "Rapex", an anti-rape female condom which can be inserted into the vaginal canal like a diaphragm. The product is lined with barbs which attach to a rapist's penis and which must be surgically removed. In an article about the Rapex, Ehlers stated that she was inspired to invent the device after meeting a victim who told her, "If only I had teeth down there."
From TimesOnline.co.uk
FURIOUS South African women have called for a controversial new anti-rape device, dubbed a “rat trap”, to be banned by the Government.
The tampon-like device, invented by a woman, supposedly protects women from rapists by cutting into a man’s penis.
It has sparked an empassioned debate over the high number of rapes committed each day in the country and the authorities’ apparent failure to tackle the issue.
Activists are outraged and want to stop it going on sale alongside tampons in chemists and supermarkets next month.
Charlene Smith, a leading anti-rape campaigner, said: “This is a medieval instrument, based on male-hating notions and fundamentally misunderstands the nature of rape and violence against women in this society. It is vengeful, horrible, and disgusting. The woman who invented this needs help.”
I'm just not sure how I feel about this. As usual, I had an initial response then thought about the issue and identified the other side of it.
Being familiar with the concept of a Vagina Dentata that's what immediately came to my mind. I thought this device was a rather empowering idea - at first. But, the more I think about it the reason men rape seems to rarely be based on the sex act alone. There are typically a whole lot of deep seeded mental issues (or a society in need of education and female liberation) involved that getting your penis caught in a barbed vice isn't necessarily going to cure.
So, is this actually some archaic device created by a woman who hates men and perhaps has her own issues to deal with - that creating dentures for her girl parts isn't going to fix? Or is it a way to prevent rape and catch rapists in countries where little is being done for violated women? What do you think?
8 comments:
The first reaction I had when I heard about this was indeed, vengeful glee.
We live in an astonishingly patriarchal society down here-just this week, two lesbians were raped and murdered in Soweto, in what looks very much like a hate crime.
Despite enlightened views in some high places, South Africa suffers in many ways from being a typical third world country - women abuse,child abuse, and all.
We are a deeply wounded society.
But, as you've thought, castrating the bastards isn't an answer.
We need to reconfigure our ways of thinking about how we live with each other.
Love,
Terri in Joburg
PS I can't say I've seen this device on sale anywhere.But then I'm post menopausal and don't often venture into the 'female hygiene' parts of stores any more!
Terri said: "The first reaction I had when I heard about this was indeed, vengeful glee."
Yes, I'll admit that my girlfriends and I had a little laugh over it before giving it any real thought.
The story of those two women is completely awful. I live in Upstate, NY, and while we have our share of Bible thumpers and the occasional red-neck, people are pretty liberal for the most part. Of course terrible things happen around here but hate crimes are fairly rare.
Thanks for the comments. Hearing from fellow bloggers (and readers) makes my day.
Cheers!
Maybe it's the wrong week of the month, but I am not moving from the view of it being a good idea and the response from the African activists is truly baffling to me.
Vengeful, horrible and disgusting
Hmm, yeah, that's how I'd categorize RAPE. Defense against it being categorized as such is very odd to me. Am I supposed to feel sorrow for the man this cuts? It's not like it is cutting it off.
If I felt as threatened and helpless and unsupported as the South African women seem to feel, I would not be hesitating to get one of these. Just knowing what I was packing would probably change my energy enough that no man would touch me anyway.
I'll undoubtedly think on this some more and see if I change my mind. But I doubt it.
Wynyfryd, I totally see that side too. I guess that's why this one is hard for me. But I keep coming back to the question of why men rape. Isn't it usually about power and not simply sex? I don't know, but maybe if all women wore this we'd have all the power in the sex department. When we wanted to be with a man we'd basically have to go take out our teeth. That's pretty funny actually. I'd like to know if this device is really helping women. If it is, then it's not such a bad idea.
Grian, you're right, rape is not about sex at all. It is about power and control, using sex as the weapon to achieve power/control.
My first thought when I read about the device was concern for the woman. Since a rapist is already acting out violence, I would be afraid that the pain caused by this device would cause an even more violent reaction resulting in a more severe (possibly even fatal) physical attack on the woman in retaliation.
Another issue I thought about was this-- at least in the U.S., most rapes are not lurk-in-the-bushes stranger rapes: 73% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a NON-stranger — 38% of perpetrators are a friend or acquaintance of the victim, 28% are an intimate and 7% are another relative.
Since almost 3/4 of all rapes are perpetrated by someone who is known, possibly loved and trusted, is a woman even going to be using this device around them? She would have to be wearing it all the time, just in case-- and that leads to my third concern..
If woman feel like they have to wear something like this all the time in order to protect themselves, is that really empowering or does that promote a mindset geared toward living in fear?
I have been trying to figure out how I feel about this device ever since I read your post yesterday, and these are just some of the thoughts I've been pondering since then. I still have no idea exactly how I feel about it, but I would say I'm rather leery about the whole idea.
Turtleheart, I agree with pretty much everything you said - right down to not knowing how to feel about this yet.
I don't think it would be something useful in this country, but I wonder about those countries like S. Africa where rape is so common. It could either cause violent death - as you mentioned - or teach rapists a lesson.
I'm going to see if there are any stats on this things use yet.
Thanks for the comment!
I commend the creator for her spirit and desire to want to do something, anything, but I don't think this contraption is the answer. For starters, it doesn't actually prevent rape; it just pisses off a rapist. And since rape isn't about sex, as others have observed, it doesn't have to center on penile-vaginal penetration.
I agree Cosette. Thanks for commenting - and visiting - and reading. :)
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