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 (1st 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.
I am was a sexual assault vicitm.. and i want to help victims out there, and tell the victim not to be so scared to speak up and knowing i am there to support the person. Cause i know what it is like to be hurt and abused... I want to be a speaker and also I Wrote a true story about what happend too me. So Please get in touch with me
ReplyDeleteprincessLisa, I am sorry to hear about your victimization. If you would like to help our outreach efforts, you can contact me at kathryn_k@svwit.org
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