Anti Rape Undergarments Cannot Stop Sexual Violence

ARWEAR from ARWEAR on Vimeo.

I would like to think that all of us want to solve the problem of sexual violence.  It impacts 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men.  It can have negative lasting effects on someone’s life.  We want to think of solutions, to be part of a solution, and yet there is only so much that we can do.  Well, someone has tried to do something; two women created ARWEAR and they are looking for funding.  I understand their purpose in trying to prevent sexual violence.  However, this is not going to solve the sexual violence problem for a variety of reasons.

This product perpetuates the stereotype that sexual assault happens at night, by strangers or people you barely know (1^st date) and that something the victim did could have prevented the sexual assault.  This is not the case, as 73% of sexual assaults were committed by a non-stranger.  Even if they didn’t include that information in the pitch for funding, I don’t think the average person is going to wear anti-rape undergarments every day, when they are around people they know, which is who is committing these crimes.

Also, I am going to argue against victims changing their behavior all day long.  Rapists need to stop raping people.  That is the only person who can prevent an attack, the person deciding to stop, whether it is due to interruption by a bystander, or their own decision.  Sometimes it is more about the principle of changing your behavior than about the simplistic view of taking an additional 5 minutes to dress and spending $50 on new underwear to prevent a traumatic event taking place.

Also, encouraging victims to change their behavior can contribute to victim-blaming.  If that person had worn this underwear, stayed sober, not gone to someone’s home, etc. etc. etc., they would not have been raped.  This thought-process is a slippery slope, and I just cannot support this company. 

Again, I understand ARWEAR’s purpose in preventing sexual assaults, but locking underwear is not the answer.

To read more about this topic, see these blogs.