the new chastity belt

[TSDguy]

Anti-Rape Device Must Be Banned, Say Women
By Jonathan Clayton
Times Online UK

Wednesday 08 June 2005

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 impassioned 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."

The device, which Sonette Ehlers, its inventor, has patented, is worn like a tampon but is hollow. In the event of a rape, she said that it would fold around the rapist's penis and attach itself with microscopic hooks. It is impossible to remove the clamped device without medical intervention.

"We have to do something to protect ourselves. While this will not prevent rape, it will help identify attackers and secure convictions," Ms Ehlers told the Johannesburg Star.

Women's groups disputed her claims, which have reopened a debate over violence against women in South Africa. The country has been called the rape capital of the world. Lisa Vetten, of the Centre of Violence and Reconciliation, said: "This is like going back to the days when women were forced to wear chastity belts. It is a terrifying thought that women are being made to adapt to rape."

The South African Law Commission recently estimated that 1.69 million women a year were raped in the country but that only 52,000 cases a year are reported. Other estimates put the rate even higher.

Ms Smith said: "More than 40 per cent of those raped are children and nationally more than 65 per cent are gang rapes. Whether this translates as a woman raped every 26 seconds or more is irrelevant. It is far too many and not enough is being done to tackle it. This is not a male-only problem, it is a societal problem."

The activist's views were echoed by Jenny Crwys-William, the host of a popular radio talk show, who described the device as a "profoundly disturbing" development that underlined how society was in danger of accepting rape as a reality of everyday life. "We need more police and more sensitive police responses to rape. When more rapists go behind bars, rape rates will go down," she told listeners.

Many callers criticised the Government for a "head in the sand" approach similar to its well-known reluctance to accept the gravity of the HIV/Aids epidemic in the country.

"This will increase the danger to women, who are already in great danger during a rape. The Government must not allow this to go on sale," one rape victim, who was stabbed twice during an attack, said.

[CANDANeh]

The biggest problem with a device like this is the mindset one must adopt in wearing such a device.
In essence, a woman wearing one of these is saying to herself, "I'm a rape target." In addition, she's saying, "The only way I can protect myself from rape is by taking action ONCE THE RAPE IS IN PROGRESS."

[TSDguy]

Cops wear bullet proof vests but don't intend to get shot.

[CANDANeh]

Cops wear bullet proof vests but don't intend to get shot.

Good point. But check this device out

Another good point
Such reactive devices instead of being proactive. I`m not against a rapist suffering the effects of these traps but the mindset of setting up a body organ as a trap well sorta puts a new twist on asking a girl what protection she is using

[Mills75]

I'm all for it and hope they sell a ton of them to women and god forbid if some scumbag goes to far and forces himself upon a girl I hope the damage done to him is permanent. It would serve him right and not be near enough punishment for him.

I would just hope no angry girlfriends or wives use it as a way to punish a guy for not taking out the garbage lol.

But if it really hurts and disables an attacker enough to subdue him to the point where he can't hurt an innocent girl then i say I hope the device tears it off and leaves the scumbag short of some baggage he had before. It will save her father and brothers the time of doing it.

[Dana Sheets]

My word.

It is a terrifying thought that women are being made to adapt to rape.

Women have adapted to rape since the beginning of time and we will continue to adapt to rape as long as rape continues to occur. To think otherwise is naive.


I've read numerous reports about societal conditions in South Africa and know that it is thought of in many circles as the "rape capital of the world." That may or may not be true but the prevalence of rape within areas of that society cannot be ignored.

The device is represents frustration, anger, desparation and a perceived lack of other options. The currency of sex is often the only means a disadvantaged woman has to use to try and keep a man with a job providing for the family. Unfortunately a backlash from that practice is that many men start to perceive sex with woman as somthing they are entitled to whenever they want it. I think that it is possible that the dynamic of rape in South Africa is different than the dynamic of rape in the US simply because of the high prevalency of rape in South Africa.

I'm not sure that kind of device is the right answer. Expecially considering that it pierces the skin and thus could enhance the risk of being exposed to HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, and since it does not debilitate the man in any other way it may enrage him to the point where he hurts the woman in other ways.

Also the idea of this device being used by a woman who is a victim of gang rape creates a terrible image in my mind. The first man is caught in the trap and the remaining members of the gang are there to take revenge on his behalf.

Education and social equality are usually the only things that will make a major impact on rape trends in a society.

You wear a seatbelt in your car because you want to improve your chances of surviving a car accident. It leaves me completely despondent and angry that a woman would feel that this is her only method of feeling "safer" or as a way of defending herself in a rape situation.

[CANDANeh]

Education and social equality are usually the only things that will make a major impact on rape trends in a society.

Proactive programs are the best I agree, punishment for such crimes as rape have not stoped it from occuring enough IMO.
Knowledge that the device may be there will cause only small inconvience to future attackers and finding it will likely create a serious escalation of the violent act. At least the situation seems to be starting to get the attention it needs and although I feel the device(s) will fall to the wayside it has shown to more people the need to address the problem.

[TSDguy]

"Also the idea of this device being used by a woman who is a victim of gang rape creates a terrible image in my mind. The first man is caught in the trap and the remaining members of the gang are there to take revenge on his behalf."

I might me misreading your intent, but I see that as "go ahead and take it, bitch, or else it'll be worse for you." I can't comprehend doing anything other than fighting to the god damn death. If I was about to be gang raped, I would start tearing people's faces off, even if it was inevitable that they rape me and kill me because I fought back. It may be my downfall, and I'm not advocating anyone else think the way I do-- make up your own mind-- but if I'm going down I'm at least maiming someone to the point it ruins their life.

"It leaves me completely despondent and angry that a woman would feel that this is her only method of feeling "safer" or as a way of defending herself in a rape situation."

Why is wearing this her only option? Why can't she use awarness, a gun, whatever else? Like I said, cops wear vests but don't intend to get shot. It's a last resort.

[Dana Sheets]

A woman with children at home she provides for may feel her priorities lie with being a provider and thus will endure anything, even a gang rape, with the hope that she'll be able to return to them.

There are many, complex considerations at play.

[Mills75]

I see the good points in all of it but I don't know many years ago without d.n.a. those same gang rapers if not seen or able to be indentified may have done their horrible deed and left but I think it's more likely in todays sick world they would do their deed and then look for a way of disposal which is sad and sick but I feel their sick anyhow and this would be mostly true or at least in some cases true.

I would be thinking personally they were planning on killing me anyhow and I would not want to just take it and hope they set me free afterwards. I have to go with TSD guy and fight and maim some freak in the hopes they saw a complete crazed animal and took off before they lost a nose or an eye or whatever from biting and gouging and going nuts to set myself free.

I don't know I see the points others are making and it's sad that we even have to discuss such things that happen but I say fight and hurt them bad and don't hope they'll let you go after humiliating you.

Jeff

[Mills75]

I don't want to post anything over the edge of good taste but if you ever saw shawshank redemption where the guys tell the other dude played by Tim Robbins to perform an act or he would shove this ice pick through his temple in the jailhouse and Robbins goes go ahead and shove that through my temple because the human jaw locks and has to be pried open with a crowbar after experiencing that kind of head trauma. Needless to say the rapist didn't proceed with the ice pick. I think it's cause and effect. I think a woman needs to say go ahead but there will be a heavy price to pay for it if you do.

Even if it sounds insane when it comes to your life let them know they will lose eyes and fingers and tips of noses or any other thing that comes near you then their excitement of forced sex might wear off a bit.

[Dana Sheets]

Some good points have been made. However unlike an informed US person who understands that DNA testing and an agressive police force and judiciary await - in second and third world countries this simply isn't the case. In "Shawshank," Tim Robbins' character had nothing to lose but his pride. Many women in developing countries are the sole providers for their children. It changes the dynamic considerably. I'm not saying that a woman shouldn't fight back in a rape situation. And I'm saying it can be a complex decision.

Women are not always killed after a gang rape. In fact you may remember reports of the Bosnian/Serbian rape camps that had been established in 95-96 as a means of intimidation and terrorism during the push before ethnic cleansing.

The following provides an interesting snapshot of rape in South Africa from the World Health Organization (WHO).

http://www.who.int/en/

[PDF] RESEARCH
... masculinity. 14 In South Africa, “streamlining” or gang rape was reported by
young men usually to “punish” their girlfriends for perceived infidelity. ...
http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/ ... theis2.pdf

[PDF] Nonconsensual Sex among Youth
... a sign of masculinity. A study in South Africa suggests that this issue of control
has contributed to extremely high rates of rape or attempted rape (2 percent ...
http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/ ... ens_10.pdf

And an article from PubMed.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Citation

While old (1993) the article shows the kind of environment the women were experiencing at the time.

WorldAIDS. 1993 May;(27):1. Related Articles, Links

South Africa's rape epidemic fuels HIV.

Armstrong S.

PIP: 1 in 4 South African women will experience rape; 380,000 cases of rape occur annually in South Africa; and 95% of those raped are Black. The incidence of rape in South Africa is one of the highest in the world. Gang rape, jackrolling, is a cult among some youths. Young jackrollers in Soweto even aim to impregnate every woman under age 26 in the township....

[Mills75]

One thing I know for sure is that no matter where the women are from or who they are there needs to be stiffer punishment for the rapists who are caught to make sure those animals are never able to hurt anyone or their families again.I'm not sure what the correct answer is but I hope they find more things to effectively deal with this very serious problem.

This one issue I really have on the top or very close to the top of things I hate the most in the world. I just hate to think of that happening to a woman and it really makes me sick to think about it. I would hope people combat rape seriously and with severe punishment for those guilty of that disgusting crime.

[f.Channell]

Sadly these devices if becoming commonplace and known would probably have the rapists adapting to sodomizing or forced oral rape.
I doubt it would stop them long term.
The answer is criminal punishment for the crime.
There is also a possibility of a woman using it to punish a mate, Bobbitt style.
F.

[TSDguy]

There is also a possibility of a woman using it to punish a mate, Bobbitt style.

Uh oh. Careful with that way of thinking. Ban guns, nail clippers, nunchuks... If a woman is so insane she mutilates her husbands penis with one of these, shes insane enough to do it without.