The war against rape

A family member posted the above on Facebook asking for thoughts. This was my initial response -

Do the crime. Do the time. I imagine a woman would only go down this path if pushed. Most women would not wear one permanently. So, to know when to insert means that you are expecting to be raped. No on should live life in fear like that.

Barbarian behaviour deserves a barbarian punishment.

That was this yesterday. Now that I have had time to think about it. I am both delighted and devastated that this product exists. I am glad that women that are in this shocking situation now have an option for recourse (though, if it is someone known to them, are they likely to use it? Would the repercussions be worse for the victim? Would it mean that the offender would turn to other, more violent and destructive ways once the device has been medically removed?).

However, I am saddened that we need this in our society. We are not raising our boys to be gentlemen. We are not giving them outlets for their testosterone-fueled bodies. We are not giving them healthy, constructive options when they are angry or frustrated. Instead, we are creating a war. A war in the world of domestic violence and, like very aggressive response, I cannot see how that is going to end well.

Will our women now be raped then murdered for their retaliation? Will this actually teach our men and boys to treat women with respect? Are we belittling the problem to yet another commercial quantity?

While on the outside this seems like a way for women to protect themselves, are we not setting up our society for penal recourse rather than education and nurturing? Are we (as society has a tendency to do) ignoring the root cause and creating a salable product as a bandaid solution for an epidemic cultural issue?

Like our addiction to fast food as a means for coping with the stresses of overwork in modern society, are we not putting our faith in a product as a way of addressing a fundamental flaw in the way our society operates and the values we place on our children, our women and our men?

I fear this is a quick fix for something that needs an overhaul. Like a bandaid for a heart attack, I worry that this is unlikely to have the desired effect. This product creates a market for some other 'smart' individual to design a tool that can be used to remove the Rapex which will be sold on the black market so as to allow the perpetrator to avoid having to seek medical attention.