Chastity belts suggested

Press, 25 July 1986, Page 3

Chastity belts suggested

PA Wellington Wearing chastity belts and giving rapists longer sentences were two solutions to the rising incidence of rape put forward at yesterday’s Country Women’s Institute conference in Wellington. Conference delegates expressed horror at the increase in rapes throughout New Zealand and called on the Government to look urgently at the problem. The institute’s Mackenzie Federation made a statement of “We view with rgrave concern the alarming increase in violent sexual attacks, with rape committed on women,” it said. A Mackenzie delegate said, “The very nature of this terrifying crime necessitates urgent investigation regarding harsher penalties or deterrents.” “It is sickening; we can’t bury our heads in the sand.” She said a woman abducted from a Christchurch sex shop earlier

this year had experienced the “most horrible brutality” for hours on end.

A South Auckland delegate said the only soluiton she could think of was, perhaps, to go back to medieval times and wear a chastity belt. A Mid-Otago delegate said that a 14-year maximum sentence for rape was not enough. With time off for good behaviour rapists served only an average of four years. "*• ' '

She said that 14 years

should become a minimum sentence, with no remission.

Other delegates suggested more self-defence courses for women and more support for Rape Crisis and other support groups.

But a Tauranga delegate said self-defence courses would not help the elderly. “We must rise up as women and protest against rape. Self defence is no good for 80-year-olds,” she said.