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Sexual Harassment

Chinese Ridicule New “Rape Safe” Underwear

Posted: 07/3/2014 6:04 pm

ar wear no rape Hey, ladies: do you have a problem with perverts? Are you at risk from unwanted pervert advances? Want to feel safe and secure?

Finally, your problems can be alleviated with a new US product described by Guangzhou Daily as the “ultimate anti-pervert underwear”. This product is guaranteed not to tear under the most severe pervert conditions, and can not be cut by even the most lascivious of scissors or blades.

Called “AR Wear” and designed as a full clothing line, the company ran a successful campaign last year on Indiegogo and was able to secure its funding goal. Self-described as “a clothing line offering wearable protection for when things go wrong”, this product is designed to protect women against rape even if they are incapacitated.

ar wear no rape

The clothing is designed with a possible 132 combination lock that can not be opened without the proper password.

While the US company behind the underwear hasn’t announced plans to expand to China yet, the anti-perv wear has captured the imagination of people in the Middle Kingdom.

Comments about the “rape-safe underwear” from Chinese netizens mostly ridicule the product:

范韩仔：
It’s still not as good as one made out of metal.

qeipiaodewei：
Do I have to wear it for the rest of my life?

不再联系tea：
What if you can’t take them off yourself!??!

XM_kazma：
All I need is to cop a feel.

Liang_关荣：
What if you really have to pee?

仙庭妹：
A pair of scissors can get rid of this problem, do they need to be taken off?

ar wear no rape

kang窗外：
What about a cucumber?

LONGKIUYU：
If they can’t be taken off, then what do you do if they kill you…..

-zJ-lll__：
How do you stop me from touching you?

没有姓名的鬼：
132 possibilities, each possibility given one second, can all be tried within three minutes!

吴zhiqin：
Good.

The original report described the underwear as being “impregnable”.

Here’s the promotional video for AR Wear:

Related:

Photos: Guangzhou Daily, Indiegogo

Haohao
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Shenzhen tackles gender inequality

Posted: 07/2/2012 7:00 am

Despite being the home of the phrase “Women can hold up half the sky,” gender inequality remains an issue in China. Xinran’s book “The Good Women of China” sheds light on some of the abuses women have experienced in the country’s recent history. In 2007, male gangsters were found to be killing women and selling their corpses as “ghost brides” to the grieving relatives of dead men, according to The Times (paywalled).

Shenzhen, a city that prides itself on entrepreneurship and independence is now trying to take the lead in levelling the playing field.

The Shenzhen Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress released regulations to boost gender equality on June 29, according to Xinhua. “The Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Gender Equality Regulations” are aimed at combating sexual harassment, domestic violence and gender discrimination.

According to a 2010 survey by the Shenzhen branch of the Women’s Federation, 33% of respondents had been victims of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is defined as intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature or the promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favours. Victims will be given channels through which to complain, and violators will be fined.

To tackle domestic violence, Shenzhen People’s Court will open a protection program for people who claim to be victims. This could lead to the suspect receiving a restraining order, or the victim being given police protection. The Women’s Federation will help victims receive medical care and psychological therapy.

Residents can also report cases of sexual discrimination in job recruiting to the police. Employers who are found guilty of sexual discrimination will be fined from 3,000 to 30,000 yuan.

The move received support from netizens. One Sina Weibo user said he hoped the rest of the country would follow Shenzhen’s example. Another said it was very important that children who come from families where there is domestic violence should receive support.

Having said all this, there is no guarantee that gender equality will continue to improve in the city. Just last weekend, local women were involved in a competition, which included a housework test, for the chance to marry an eligible bachelor. Half the sky indeed.

Haohao
Tagged:

Time for women-only subway cars in Guangzhou

Posted: 03/5/2012 4:54 pm

Standing on the tube, rush hour, day in, day out — it’s one of the worst things for a woman. You get your makeup perfect, the right hint of perfume on your suit, out the door and off to work in full spirits, and it all comes melting down the second you step on the subway. As if being flung, pushed and squeezed isn’t bad enough, you still have to avoid all those salty pig hands (咸猪手).

Which leads to one inevitable question: Why are there no women-only cars on the subway? Southern Metropolis Daily (SMD) asked the same thing of its readers late last week.

According to SMD, subways in Japan have been offering this service to female passengers for at least 12 years. Now, with Women’s Day approaching on Thursday this week and following on the coattails of Guangzhou’s recent “Occupy Women’s Toilet” movement, it could be time for the PRD to get on board.

A women-only subway car in Japan

One local netizen, going by the alias Tonghua, went online recently to suggest that transportation authorities in Guangzhou could follow the example of Japan and set aside several carriages for women, sparing them the embarrassment of unwanted physical contact with the opposite sex. Sometimes men have no choice where they squeeze into on the subway, but as the SMD notes and any woman can tell you, salty pig hands are a real and common problem for female subway riders.

“Harassment might just last a second or two, but it’s a really hard issue to raise. If you confront the man, he might shout you down, but it’s not something that one can just accept and move on.”

Chances of something like this taking root are slim. Guangzhou, for example, already has “Love” cars in place for the elderly, pregnant, wounded, etc., but can always be found full of perfectly able and healthy young people. Without some sort of guarantee of supervision, what Tonghua imagines will ever exist in name only.

Also, Guangzhou Metro Corp responded to Tonghua’s proposal of women-only subway cars by saying that such an undertaking is not possible at present, given the large passenger flow. Passengers are encouraged to report any salty pig hands they encounter, but a spokesperson for the Metro Corp said that “Even if we had a women-only car, we have no way of ensuring that male passengers would not enter.”

Haohao
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Shunde woman sent naked photo by interviewer exposes him online

Posted: 02/29/2012 3:07 pm

While most people are likely to get a polite rejection, job hunting for one woman in Shunde, He, ended recently with some unwanted sexting from a prospective employer.

After attending a job fair early this month in Shunde’s Ronggui district, He was interviewed by a Mr. Pan, the representative of one company participating in the fair. Speaking to Shunde’s Zhujiang Economic Times, He describes being offended by Pan’s behavior during the interview at the fair, with questions including compliments on her fair skin.

He says that Pan asked for her cell phone number after their meeting at the fair, promising to call her to arrange a second interview.

He did later receive a call from Pan’s company regarding a second interview, one she turned down, having already secured a job elsewhere. Then Pan called He on February 18, asking if she remembered him, and if she had a boyfriend. He says she ended the call there, only to receive an MMS the following day with a photo of Pan’s unclothed lower body.

A reporter for the Zhujiang Economic Times called the number attached to the message shown to the newspaper by He, confirming Pan’s identity. Pan, however, denied sending the photo and refused to comment further.

He says this wasn’t the first time she’s experience sexual harassment during a job search, saying police were unable to intervene in another incident last year in Guangzhou as the company name given to He couldn’t be traced.

She now notifies friends in advance of job interviews, making sure that they have the address and phone number of the company, in the event that something does happen.

“These perverts enjoy bullying weak girls,” said He, “thinking that we won’t dare to tell anyone. But I won’t let them get away with it, I want to let everyone know what they’ve done.”

And she has, posting her story on Weibo, including Pan and the company’s names, gaining numerous reposts and comments.

According to the Zhujiang Economic Times, quoting legal experts, behavior such as sending obscene, insulting or intimidating text messages which result in disruption of another person’s life is liable to come with a sentence as heavy as an administrative detention, if the behavior is verified through a police investigation.

It might be nasty, ladies, but if it happens to you, keep all the evidence you can. If police don’t help, there’s always Weibo.

Haohao
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