Whose Fight is It?: Examining South African Attitudes Towards the Anti-Rape Condom

One hundred and fifty University of Cape Town students participated in a survey on knowledge of and attitudes towards the recently developed anti-rape condom. Results showed that female students had high familiarity with the anti-rape condom and a majority would try the anti-rape condom at least once. Male students, although less familiar with the anti-rape condom than their female counterparts, also found the anti-rape condom to be an acceptable way to prevent sexual violence. The most common potential benefits of the anti-rape condom cited by students were its potential to reduce sexual violence and/or reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. Popular concerns about the anti-rape condom were its potential for abuse by women and the potential for it to lead to increased violence against rape victims. Students were also questioned about whether they thought preventing sexual violence was the responsibility of men or women, and these results were analyzed to identify the link between support for the anti-rape condom and attitudes towards gender. Evidence suggests the anti-rape condom may reflect attitudes that increasingly see the prevention of sexual violence as women's responsibility. Overall, evidence suggests the anti-rape condom is a popular, but potentially problematic way to potentially reduce sexual violence among college students in South Africa.