Newest device to prevent rape 
Femdefence an idea for a rape-protection device
The project Femdefence is an attempt to contribute to the debate on
mens sexual violence against women in society, using the esthetics
of design, and the semiotics of marketing.
Femdefence is an on-going project first presented in 2003. The
project includes the creation of an imaginary product, which bears
the projects name. The product is a kind of protection
against rape, somewhat similar to a tampon in that its user
carries it inserted into her vagina. The basic idea is that the
woman carries the protective device in her vagina. In it there is a
sharp pin which has a penetrating effect on the perpetrators penis
in the event of a rape. The construction is such that the pin still
cannot injure the bearer. The design of the design is
based on a similar construction invented by a Swedish woman named
Anita Ingmarsdotter. She came to work on her invention after a
series of rape cases in Sweden that received a lot of public
attention. Typically, in many of these cases, the accused do not
receive an adequate punishment, and the abused women are left
without appropriate support from the judicial system. All too often
they, in the perpetrators place, are burdened with guilt. Read more
about her in the interview.
Her actions are a logical response to the malfunction of the
judicial system in a country many consider to have reached a high
level of equality between the sexes. What she did was an indication
on the situation of women in Sweden, and outlines the public
opinion in these issues. The idea for the rape-protection device
and the woman behind it have functioned as symbols for the debate
on inequality between the sexes and mens violence against women.
The project has been exposed in several ways and in several
locations. It has been the object of exhibitions leading the
thoughts to how industrial designers present their prototypes.
Furthermore, it has been presented in the form of TV-commercials,
newspaper advertisements and in outdoor billboard advertising. For
anyone who has been interested there has been the opportunity to
find more information and contact me through e-mail on an earlier
version of this web site. After I had a full page advertisement
published in one of the largest newspapers in Sweden, Expressen, I
received a lot of reactions. Looking at the response, it seems that
many people took concern in my work not only by writing to me, but
also by discussing it among themselves.
So all ti ko peks...watch out!
