Have you heard about the anti-rape condom?

There are good points on both sides of the debate. Just the idea that a woman might have one on could be a deterrent to rape, as long as it’s not easily removed.

And perhaps this device doesn’t go far enough. I’d like to see the device do a lot more damage.

I prefer my gun;)

I’ve heard about it and I don’t like it. It doesn’t stop the rape from starting. Penetration is not the only way to rape a woman. For example, it wouldn’t stop a man from forcing his penis into a woman’s mouth or ass. It doesn’t stop him from beating her into submission first, or putting drugs in her drink. I would imagine an enraged rapist in pain would also beat a woman up for hurting him. Also, if this did become common for women to wear, I think it would breed a smarter and more brutal rapist. I think more rapists would drug or beat their victims into submission first and check to make sure the women were wearing the condom. I think this would also lead to blaming other men for rape by putting the condom on someone else after a rape has been committed.

Nope, I don’t like it and I will not endorse it if it is brought to the US.

@KatawaGrey Yeah I thought about that too, regardless of what justice may be brought, the woman is still raped. You make really good points.

Any other guys out there feel like shit to be male?

@Adirondackwannabe: Psht, you shouldn’t feel like that. Men don’t rape women. Specific individuals who are also male rape women. Big difference my friend. :)

It doesn’t make me feel good about my gender. That’s such an evil act.

@KatawaGrey If this device could give a woman even the smallest bit of confidence, isn’t that a good thing?

What was that scene in “Tank Girl” where the badass says, “I feel teeth – you feel lead!”

Somehow I don’t see this thing being much of a solution. Rape is an act of violence. It is not an act of passion. A rapist is a violent person to begin with, and something like this is not going to make him any tamer.

Wow that pussy has lethal claws.If it inflicts lasting damage to the sick bastards that treat women that way, then boy am I all for it.

Sorry Katawa, That just rattled my cage a little.

IMO a jaws condom will only create more problems than it will solve and a lot of women will get the snot beat out of them for using or attempting to use this device.

@tinyfaery: What good is confidence if a woman still gets hurt? Also, what bothers me about this is who would wear it and when? It wouldn’t protect children from pedophiles and I doubt a woman would wear it at a party with a bunch of friends and isn’t acquaintance rape the most common kind?

@Adirondackwannabe: I know, but you gotta remember that it’s individuals, and not your gender. I don’t see rapists when I walk into a room full of men, I see a room full of men. The idea that men can’t be trusted sexually has a lot more to do with how society portrays men and encourages men to act than how most men actually act.

Edited to add: A really awful thought: What if a rapist found this inside a woman and turned it inside out and shoved it back inside her?

it doesn’t “save women” or “protect” them from being raped, but what is so interesting is that it makes proving who the perpetrator is a lot easier. when you think about the statistics that most rapes go un-prosecuted and a lot of times comes down to the “he said she said” concept…. now there is tangible proof.

i give it a thumbs up at least coming from the judicial system point of view

@alive: All that would prove is that a guy raped somebody. Unless someone comes forward, the rapist would still get off scott-free.

@KatawaGrey I think what shook me was realizing I go out into the world thinking throw your best at me world, and women, somewhere in the world (or worse most of the world) go out thinking I’m going to be raped, I’d better use my condom with teeth today.

@KatawaGrey You make some really good points, and I can only offer one in return: When a guy is hurt in that way, it’s gonna be the only thing on his mind. Any guy who’s had even the slightest damage to their member can tell you that their mind went immediately into “Escape, Nurse and Cry” mode (rubber knuckles, anyone?). It may not stop penetration, and I agree it would probably cause rapists who plan their rapes to become more violent and careful, but I think it could help a victim escape or fight back in a more spontaneous situation.

@KatawaGrey but you see, this could open up a whole new type of law… let’s think of an example scenario: if a man runs to a hospital the nurses and doctors have a certain responsibility to report crimes right? well they could call the police and because the person has evidence of a crime on them, they could still be charged with the crime. (it would be like walking into a hospital with a gun saying “i just got shot, but i shot him back and now he’s dead” you have the evidence on your person.

i am not saying that would happen, but the condom presents a whole new way to look at rape from a judicial standpoint. you no longer need a victim to come forward.

@RocketSquid: I think it would work like that at first but once rapists wised up, I think what I said in my first answer would happen. Also, it just occurred to me that this would do nothing against rape with a foreign object. In that case, the rapist could just ditch the object with the rape condom and go happily along.

@alive: I like where you’re going with this and I think that could possibly happen but, again, I think it would create a more brutal and intelligent rapist.

There wouldn’t be need of something like this if the system dealt with rape better than it does now.

Just the act of wearing this means that men and fear of rape have control over your sexuality. I don’t feel comfortable about that.

Great points made already. The idea of something like this is great but we never know when rape could occur. It sounds like there would be little the rapist could do in return once it’s on his dick since it seems it is painful enough to stop them. I wonder how comfortable it would be for the woman?

Also, what’s to stop a woman from framing a man with this?

If this device is available and women want to use it, I will [not] deny them that right. The device could effect individual women in very positive ways.

@Simone Thanks. I fixed it.

@tinyfaery Did you mean to say you will deny them that right or that you won’t deny them that right?

@Haleth that was another point that has been made, that I thought about. Having women use this could be promoting a paranoia of rape. Something someone shouldn’t be plagued with, constantly. I just couldn’t imagine going about my day while wearing one.

@KatawaGrey this isn’t available in the states currently and it was designed specifically with South Africa in mind, where women are apparently brutally raped constantly, and DNA kits are too expensive to administer to obtain evidence. So, really this is more designed for a young woman in South Africa rather than a woman lets say from NYC going on a blind date. However to apply this to everyday American life gives it a new perspective.

I think it is a great idea. By far, most men are not rapists. Rapists are a very small minority. If this device marks the guy so he can be prosecuted then it helped a lot more than letting him get away. It might actually take the guy off the streets.
Of course having the woman shiv the SOB would work too.

I think it’s kind of a barbaric solution for a barbaric problem, and I can imagine a host of terrible things that it could lead to.. as if rape isn’t bad enough. But I can’t help but wonder if rape is so prevalent in areas like the one this device was designed for, if the fear alone might be enough to scare a lot of men out of doing it. Rape is really considered to be a predatory, power based, violent act. I think in situations though where it’s relatively socially acceptable, it becomes a slightly different story. I’m not 100% sure that compulsive rapists and people who rape because they live somewhere that it’s socially acceptable to rape are all one in the same. Equally despicable, but I think there might be a minor shift in there. I wonder if men that only rape because they can, and not necessarily because they feel a deep compulsion to do so, might be more easily scared out of it if there were real consequences. I could be wrong. Just throwing it out there.

Here is another barbaric solution for a barbaric problem in South Africa: link

That is why I prefer to start with my tongue and go from there.

@worriedguy holy shit.

I honestly think it will lead to more harm for the rape victims (such as from an enraged rapist that will go on to beat the victim possibly to death). And honestly, with it not breaking skin I think there will be guys attempting to get it off on their own. There are scissors that can cut through almost anything. I can see guys making slits down the sides and attempting to peel it off. If the can manage to get it off on their own, that takes away that “proof” of them having sex with it on.

Also, what about if a woman puts it in, goes to the bar, gets drunk or forgets she has it in, and agrees to have sex. I understand they are geared to South Africa right now, but if they are considered a success, it won’t take long for them to make it everywhere else as well.

@Seaofclouds: I also wonder what would happen if, say, a girl was wearing it to a party to prevent rape and then decided she wanted to have consensual sex but forgot she was wearing it. Ouch.

@KatawaGrey Lol, I was just editing my response to add that. :-)

@ChazMaz Way to devalue the seriousness, and sadness of this issue…

Seriousness, and sadness? The discussion is about the Iron Maiden of condoms.
A rather interesting device.
You wont get raped, but that is going to be one pissed off MF.

Want to talk about rape and kidnapping in general. That will get a different response.

@Seaofclouds I could also see it being used intentionally on consensual partners if a woman wants to play a really nasty trick on an ex-boyfriend or something. That could cause a lot of trouble. Which is why I really think this should stay out of places that aren’t plagued with rape like South Africa.

If this works and makes women feel safer in South Africa, then let them use it. But it should not be the only thing women should rely on. The comment about a man getting mad and beating a woman to death after getting the anti-rape condom stuck on their johnson is a very real possibility, and women should be instead taught self-defense methods of warding off a man BEFORE he attacks her.

@ChazMaz Wow. I’m actually speechless at your ignorance. This could save women’s lives and prevent some types of rape. Believe it or not, even serious topics don’t need humor. There could women on this site who have been raped. Please don’t be so insensitive next time.

@TooBlue Do you really think this will save someone’s life? I think it is going to endanger it more. If a guy is going to rape her and he gets that caught on his penis, he’s going to get pissed off and take it out on her. It may cause people to think twice about rape or it may cause them just to check first and pull it out of the woman and then rape her.

@Seaofclouds: I think it was the implication that @ChazMaz rapes women more intelligently than the average rapist that upset @TooBlue.

I can’t be on a site that makes a joke out of rape. It will never be funny however you twist it.

@TooBlue He’s talking about the condom, not rape. A female could have one in and consent to sex, so rape isn’t the only time a man would have to be concerned about it.

Keep on defending him. It looks good.~

If you stop looking at rape as a sexual assault and instead see it for the violence that it is…you have to worry if this device is going to get some woman killed when the frustrated /enraged rapist who might have settled for just destroying her soul with penetration decides to cut her throat instead.

I’m with Lucille, I prefer not to let a rapist get that close to me and to be honest, it’s not the penetration part that I find the most offensive, it’s the menace. I would rather take my chances with a regular old baseball bat.

I also agree with Merriment, good way to piss a mad man off. Either come out swinging and fight to the death or submit and hope that’s enough to save your bacon.

If it is easy enough for a woman to take it out at the end of the night, it is easy enough for a rapist to remove it also (once it becomes well known).

As much I think the fight against rape is great and support others putting their minds together to create ideas for justice and possible prevention, I think this particular idea has too many flaws. It is concerning that an innocent man could be targeted by being framed for rape. How difficult would it be for a woman to wear one and agree to sex to hurt someone or frame him for rape.

I also agree that it has the potential to enrage a rapist or to cause rapists to use objects first/anal rape etc.

Now I feel like an idiot since I waited until now to actually read the article. Now that I know how it actually works, I agree with @KatawaGrey completely. I originally thought this would be some kind of weapon that might draw some blood, but now that I see it’s more like an ink bomb they use in stores. Sure, it’ll hurt the guy and maybe buy a woman some time to escape, but for something like this he may have enough of an adrenaline rush to ignore the pain and punish her for it.

@TooBlue I honestly don’t think @ChazMaz was referring to rape, I think he was referring to checking for the device in case it’s being used in malice against a man during consensual sex (Sadly, I know a few who would jump at this opportunity).

I’ve heard of something like this when living in S. Africa (where rape is just of nightmare proportions) and though I see the benefit, I would be against such a thing – reason being a woman can wear those in order to hurt a man who is not raping her and then accuse him of rape. Since you can’t really tell, this is problematic. And we need to reconsider what kind of a culture we’re raising our children in and how we’re raising them to be rather than giving them tools to fear the opposite sex no matter which sex.

@RocketSquid Still wasn’t appropriate in this type of discussion, and you can’t change my opinion on that. That’s just how I feel.

@TooBlue Agreed

I’ve heard of it. I’m unsure of what I think about it.

My fear is like what someone else suggested, that they might just beat the crap out of the woman.

In countries like S. Africa where girl children and women amount to no more than human masturbation devices, I have no problem with it.

I just think they should have gone the extra step and make them into mini-guillotines.

@netgrrl I find it troubling, though, trying to figure out who gets to decide which countries get this device and which don’t – when a person is raped, their rape is the only one that matters to them, you know?

It should be available everywhere. I have a suggestion to improve it: Have it inject curare.

@Adirondackwannabe And what happens when a female forgets she has it in and consents to sex or a female that tries to use it as payback against a guy? Could she then be charge for a crime because of the damage from the curare? Or even charged for the removal of it (without the curare) in general?

@Simone_De_Beauvoir Let anyone have it. But make it difficult or expensive to get (except in 3rd world countries like S. Africa or rape camps etc – give ‘em out like candy there.)

It doesn’t break the skin, there’s no permanent damage. If a woman used in in the absence of a real rape case, let them man file for assault or some other charge.

When I consider the # of men who might be falsely accused against the # of women & girl children that are raped every day in S. Africa – I’d take that chance.

@netgrrl Well that’s only going to play into the class disparities in health anyhow and I wouldn’t take the chance you mention – it’s a philosophical principle and I see this as a band aid solution – perhaps coupled with a cultural shift against sexism, I’d reconsider…the ones proposed in S. Africa do more damage.

@Seaofclouds How many times do you think that’s realistically going to happen? There are an estimated 30 rapes are reported in South Africa daily. Take that and factor in the fact that only about 10% of rapes are reported. I don’t know how many of those are girl children, but I know that’s a problem there too.

Until women are empowered in S. Africa, something has to happen. I don’t like the idea, but if it stops one rape, I could live with it.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I’ll take any bandaids until I can get to see women and children stop being treated this way.

Rape is unacceptable.

@netgrrl Nah, the numbers are worse from then on – only like 2% get prosecuted for it, too. The other thing I’m concerned about is how angry the man will become and what he might do to the woman for wearing this. And of course, it’s unacceptable – I don’t think saying no to this measure means I find it acceptable.

@Seaofclouds I don’t think I can improve on the answers just given.
And I gave you a GA.

I’m just saying that drastic measures are not always a bad idea. In a world where a rape case can be thrown out of court because the woman was wearing skinny jeans, we clearly do not have a handle on this type of crime yet.

@netgrrl In the US, I could see it happening every time a girl wants to get payback at a guy if there are no repercussions for her actions (that’s why I asked would there be charges brought against a female using it maliciously). It’s probably not as likely in South Africa. I questioned @Adirondackwannabe because they said to have it everywhere and add a toxin to it. Thus changing how the condom works from just being stuck on the guy to possibly killing the guy.

@seaofclouds Of course there should be repercussions anytime a person commits violence against another person. That goes without saying.

Look I see rape cases in the US every month, I’ve been a crisis counselor since ‘97. I’ve seen very, very few cases at the ER where I really thought it was possible that a woman was alleging rape without cause.

@netgrrl No, we don’t – but putting this condom out there will not make the justice system any more welcoming to women – there will be even more cases of ‘I didn’t rape her, she is the one that injured me! I’m the Victim here!’

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I wasn’t seriously saying it should cause permanent harm to men. I am sorry if I gave that impression. My understanding from the article is that this condom does no permanent damage to the man.

@netgrrl Yea, I am thinking about S. Africa, still – I guess there are variations on this anti-rape condom idea…making this even more complex…

@Seaofclouds I think a guy with this stuck on him is going to be seriously pissed and what’s to stop him from beating the woman, possibly to death? A crime is a crime if used maliciously. The whole issue we’re talking about sucks. I don’t have any great ideas about fixing it.

@seaofclouds Apparently from what the article says, it does cause him some discomfort. Usually men who are in pain there aren’t as inclined to try and cause a beating. It should give a woman enough of a pause to get away to safety.

@Adirondackwannabe I agree. I think they are a bad idea in general and don’t think they will do anything to stop rapes, just make them more violent. By looking at them, I doubt it will be long before a guy figures out how to get them off on his own and it will all be a moot point and the added violence to the rape would have been for nothing.

@netgrrl I disagree, I think the “some discomfort” will just piss the guy off and he’ll take that anger out on the girl. How many guys don’t get pissed when a girl kicks them there? Not many. Hurting a guy’s penis is a guaranteed way to piss them off. Kicking a guy doesn’t even always give a woman the chance to escape, I doubt having something stuck to his penis causing “some discomfort” is going to buy her anymore time. Honestly, the fact that it doesn’t penetrate the skin leads me to believe that the pain won’t be that bad. I could be wrong, but there are guys that put things on their penis on purpose, so obviously people can tolerate “some discomfort”.

You guys amaze me. There was a long thread – just last week – about what someone would do if she realized she knew she was going to be raped. Nearly everyone detailed exactly the violence they would be prepared to take to avoid it.

The facts of rape is that most women do not fight back after being hit perhaps once or twice, figuring that it’s better to avoid a possible beating or even death.

The idea that everyone has that they would always fight back is archaic – stemming from the idea that if they don’t do everything physically within their power to stop it, it might in some way be viewed as “asking for it.”

But give a woman a way that a rape might be avoided, even taking the chance that someone might misuse it, and it’s a completely different argument.

@netgrrl I understand your point but I think it’s different to ponder about what we might do (I believe I said I’d break his dick off) and what women should purchase – I can’t even understand how I’d go about utilizing this product and technically speaking, I am a walking target. When would I have it handy?

@netgrrl I agree with your theory, but there’s one flaw in the device: A seriously pissed off guy can put up with a lot more “discomfort” than a calm person. I got hit by a truck a few weeks ago. I got my arm up and it got my hand pretty good. I never noticed the pain until two hours later. I had that much adrenaline going.

I think the big difference here is the types of rape that occur in each country. In a country like South Africa, rape is more common on the street, the attacker going after someone he doesn’t know. Wearing something like this would be more akin to carrying mace or a tazer, it’s meant as a deterrent, not a solution. The biggest case I can make for this thing is that not only does it hurt the attacker, it helps prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancy.

Date-rape is more common here in the US than street, which means a woman probably wouldn’t be wearing it when she would need it. On top of that, various drugs might be used which would give the rapist the chance to check for and remove it. I think it should be available in the US, but it’d probably be fairly worthless.

In the absence of, as @seaofclouds put it, a great idea for fixing it, I’d take a so-so idea in South Africa until a better one comes along. If nothing else, it begins to send a message.

@RocketSquid I was just going to say the same thing. I think it’s important for people to make the differentiation. S. Africa is in a entirely different situation than we are here in America. Something this intense may sound crazy if applied to our daily life, but there it may be the only way to get any sort of justice, and a chance to give the girl to get away. Another factor is that it may deter the rape because a man in S. Africa may say to themselves, oh wait they may have that crazy condom in them, I don’t want to risk it.

I just had a horrible thought: Gang Rape. It’s a one use device.

I didn’t mean to kill the discussion, but did I just come up with it’s weakness?

@Adirondackwannabe Good point.

All they would have to do is work in pairs. Then she gets beat by one guy and raped by the other. That really sucks.

So the answer then is to do nothing and continue living with the risk of being raped because there is a possibility that some woman might misuse it, or some men might decide to work in pairs or groups?

That’s no answer. You don’t change things by just going along doing what you’ve always done.

I’m glad women didn’t say, “No, I’m not going to march for the vote because I might be sent to jail or divorced or ridiculed. If I’m a good girl, maybe the nice men will give me what I need.”

If you want to make a change you have to make some noise.

@netgrrl Sure, yes but is this the change? I feel like in your statements it’s all or nothing.

I’m not saying this is the answer. But it’s something—a start.

No the answer isn’t to do nothing and yes to make some change you do have to make some noise but it’s best if that action and that noise lead to a solution rather than just another noisy set of problems.

Instead of forcing women to put a Penis Flytrap in their vagina wouldn’t it be better to enact and enforce harsher laws and sentences for rapist. Wouldn’t it be better to give law enforcement and courts teeth instead of putting teeth in vaginas? Don’t we run the risk of making women responsible for their own rape if we expect women to put up razor wire fences around their vag to prevent it?

Should the product be available for those who want it? Certainly. But should we look at it as a solution in and of itself. No.

I’d rather have a pistol in my pocket than barb wire in my vagina.

@Merriment The fact that we are even able to sit down in front of our computers and smart phones and debate this implies we cannot begin to understand living in a place where women have no sense of power, or the means and resources to protect themselves and their children.

It’s difficult for us to begin to imagine living in an area with so few options or resources.

Yes, harsher laws would be a better answer. But those don’t often come until something happens is a real catalyst for that change.

I’d have to disagree with that assessment. Understanding living in a place where women have no sense of power or the means or resources to protect themselves isn’t such a stretch for me. That I am now able to sit in front of a computer in no way represents where I’ve been. It isn’t that difficult, at all, for me to imagine having so few options or resources. My childhood was it’s own war-torn nation.

And I still don’t think that this device is the answer. I think it should be available to those women who would like it but ,again, I think the problem is much bigger than the opening to a vagina.

And I don’t think this device is the “catalyst” for change, more a band-aid.

You don’t have to agree with me, and I could be wrong but I think it will take far more than this to address the power imbalance that has made rape s.o.p.

And I worry that the fat cats will distribute a million of these devices, brush their hands together and say “there, that’s handled!” when nothing could be further from the truth.

wow… so many responses i can barely keep up.

someone briefly mentioned this… but i would like to reinforce the point: the condom is developed for a specific problem in a specific area, i.e. INSTITUTIONALIZED RAPE DURING WAR TIME.

most of the people on this site are either americans or western. we have never EVER been in the position that many african women are in. during the civil wars rape is used like a gun. aimed at anyone that is in range. we are talking soldiers raping kids and women in order to humiliate the entire family/opposition.

i have seen comments like “what if she wants to have sex but forgets its in” and “it will only aggravate that rapist more”.... they are in a WAR. they are probably not going to “forget” the ever looming threat of rape, and therefore not forget it is in. they are in a WAR, they are going to be beaten up anyways.

this is not your ‘date rape’ kind of scenarios that happen to african women.