Have you heard about the Rape-aXe? It’s supposed to be the new hot tool to prevent sexual assault. CNN covered it in a June 21 article. A doctor named Sonnet Ehlers invented it after a rape victim walked in, looking like a corpse. The girl wished she had “teeth down there” and after Dr. Ehlers saw a male patient who had his penis stuck in his zipper, the idea was born.

Here’s how the Rape-aXe works: a woman inserts it into her vagina, not unlike a tampon. Then, should she be assaulted, the Rape-aXe would attach itself onto the assailant’s penis. It’s incredibly painful and can only be removed by a doctor.

Initially I was thrilled at the idea. Ehlers said it best herself: “Yes, my device may be a medieval, but it’s for a medieval deed that has been around for decades… I believe something’s got to be done … and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman.”

Sexual assault is a huge problem. Did you know that one in six women will be sexually assaulted in their lives, and one in 33 men? That 60 percent of rapes aren’t reported to the police? And that one rape takes place every two minutes? That only six percent of rapists ever see jail time? (All statistics are from the Rape Abuse Incest National Network.)

This is unacceptably high. In the few minutes you’ve been reading this column, two people have been raped. Chances are both of the assailants will get away with it, too.

Oh, and female readers, be especially wary because if you’re college-aged you’re four times more likely to be sexually assaulted. (Also from RAINN.)
So, like I said, initially I was thrilled at the idea. What better way to catch these rat bastards red-handed? It wouldn’t rely on DNA evidence from intrusive rape-kits or any he said/she said testimony. It would be fairly obvious what had happened. And the CNN story says that when these puppies are on the market they’ll be cheap, like around $2.

Frankly, I have no sympathy for rapists. There is no good reason to EVER rape a person. “No,” “stop” and “don’t” always mean exactly what they mean, even if the person is drunk or high.

This isn’t designed to scare the crap out of you; we get enough of that already. This is so that you’re aware of the reality of our situation. Only through our collective awareness can we ever expect to change this.

But again, the Rape-aXe isn’t a solution to our collective problem of sexual assault. More so, it acts like chicken soup; it’ll help, but it’s not a vaccine. Further, it wouldn’t stop other things like intimate partner violence, and there are more ways that a person can be raped, while Rape-aXe only stops it one way. In order to solve this we have to change the nature in which we even discuss sexual assault.

First off, we have to stop putting this all onto the shoulders of women. Really. Let’s stop this nonsense of “Don’t wear slutty clothes” or “Don’t walk around late at night by yourself.” You’ve heard it all before and it’s B.S. If what you’re wearing provokes someone into a frenzy, well, there’s something sick in his or her head rather than your fashion choice.

Second, let’s get dudes involved in the conversation. Yeah, you guys – you’re needed. Sure, we’ve got organizations like Men Can Stop Rape (mencanstoprape.org). It’s a fabulous group, but there’s more to be done. Frankly, if I were a guy, I’d be insulted that I could even use an excuse like “Oh well everyone knows she’s a slut!” and get away with it. There are other B.S. justifications out there; there isn’t enough space to list them. And guys, you need to understand this for what it is and call it out.

Or worse, there are guys who just don’t get why the hell women are (understandably) afraid of being raped. I even had a guy friend joke, “Is it considered rape if you yell ‘surprise’?” Not cool. I haven’t spoken to him since.

So to put this into perspective guys, imagine there are any number of people out there who will at any moment tackle you to the ground. These are people who could easily out power you. You can fight, you can scream, but you are powerless. Then picture that they have every intention of castrating you. Imagine the pain, the misery at calling the police and seeing doctors and therapists. Then imagine that everyone blames you for this, they say it’s your fault for wearing T-shirts and tight pants.

See how full of B.S. this is? Yeah, women can’t keep policing themselves. For one, it doesn’t work. For two, men are part of the solution, and we need your help to end this madness.

– Rhiannon Root is a Junior News-editorial and History major at U. Nebraska.