Equality Now Challenges Sale of RapeLay Game

A while back I wrote about  RapeLay, a disturbing computer game sold in Japan that simulates rape. The details of the game were shocking – stalking, sexual harassment, repeated rapes, forced abortion. I was appalled that such a game existed at all but in Japan these types of sexually violent games are commonplace.

Not if Equality Now has anything to say about.

The organization which documents violence and discrimination against women around the world and mobilizes international action to support these human rights abuses, is now calling on the Japanese government to ban all hentia (extreme pornography in the form of cartoons found in comic books, animation, computer games, and online entertainment) which promote violence against women and girls.

You can show your support by visiting Equality Now’s Women’s Action Network and sending a letter to Illusion Software and/or Amazon Japan asking them to immediately withdraw Rapelay, and all other games which involve rape or other forms of sexual violence, from sale. You can also write a letter to listed Japanese government officials asking the government to eliminate discrimination against women in Japan and ban the sale of RapeLay and other games that normalize and promote violence against women and girls.

It’s easy and just a few clicks away – simply copy and paste the sample letters and send! 

Around the world people are doing their part, but even so the opposition is great. Since launching the campaign Equality Now has received tremendous hate mail, including death and bomb threats, but continues to stand firm in its battle against RapeLay and similar games. Thanks to their tenacity today we have reason to celebrate as both Illusion and Amazon Japan have removed RapeLay from their websites! 

This, however, is only a small victory. Illusion has yet to release an official statement confirming that the game will no longer be sold and Amazon Japan continues to sell other sexually violent games.  

“We are continuing to call on Illusion to make an official statement about retracting the game,” said Lakshmi Anantnarayan, Communications Director of Equality Now. “And we will continue to put pressure on the Japanese government to ban all hentai that normalize violence against women and girls.”

You can too by visiting Equality Now’s Women Action Network and sending a letter today! 

Photo from original Care2 post - http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/blog/rape-just-a-click-away/

56 comments

Jo S.
Jo S.11 months ago

Thank you Ximena.

LMj Sunshine
LMj Recovering Sunshine2 years ago

Thank you for article.

LMj Sunshine
LMj Recovering Sunshine2 years ago

Thank you for article.

LMj Sunshine
LMj Recovering Sunshine2 years ago

Thank you for article.

LMj Sunshine
LMj Recovering Sunshine2 years ago

Thank you for article.

Florence B.
Florence B.5 years ago

I have my views on this game--and I'll be frank, my views are NOT supportive of the game or those who play it. While I wouldn't dare take away freedom of speech (a stupid cop-out IMO), I can not and will not respect people who play it.

Allen C.
Allen C.6 years ago

I do not see how this encourages rape.
It doesn't say, hey "Go out there and rape women because its the best thing you could do". The game does nothing of the sort.

Jodi S B.
Past Member 6 years ago

It is promoting the rape of women and girls and should be banned period. I don't care what country it is. It is disgusting.

Terry B.
Terry B.6 years ago

Honestly, rape is a definite problem around the world, and Japan is no exception. However, what the group has done by sensationalizing questionable data to bring down this Japanese eroge game is wrong. The country has numerous laws that are exercised in order to try to prevent rape and help bring rapists to justice, as well as other forms of sexual harassment, much to the fault of some women wrongfully accusing men of such acts other than rape. Over one game, RapeLay, a Japanese industry could be close to putting more people in unemployment lines because of over-the-wall changes made by the E.O.C. In fact, it has been shown that such games don't encourage the raping of women, but the opposite actually happens.

Look, I'm all for women's rights, but when they encroach on a foreign nation that has its act together on such issues, as well as endangering a legitimate industry, I believe it's gone too far. This is almost like putting women's rights over men's. In my opinion, Equality Now's work is needed more in other Asian countries, as well as our own.

Christina C.
Christina Chung6 years ago

This is nothing but a violation of freedom of speech (for a US citizen, the very 1st amendment). Regardless of the content of the game, nobody has the right to tell anyone to stop their right to produce a game that doesn't physically harm anyone because it's not real, it's fiction.

Excuses like "it promotes rape" or "influences people to commit rape" are nonsense. The same could be said of many music, books and movies yet I don't see anyone trying to ban them. Do you see people buying porn (involving real people) and take at face value whatever is presented there? no, because as well-raised adults they know that it's all staged, a fantasy and you can't necesarily apply fantasy to reality.

Equality Now is nothing about equality; it actively promotes the violation of freedom of speech and suppresses people into submission to do whatever they like. There are sensible people out there who fighr for real equality, men and women alike; I'll never side with a group that violates my unalienable rights. You can't selectively ban whatever is convenient for you. If what fiction you enjoy, regardless of content, is banned because a group of people doesn't like it, you won't be able to do anything, because you did the very same.

Neil Gaiman's article can tell you more about defending freedom of speech:
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/12/why-defend-freedom-of-icky-speech.html

PS: hentai is just fake porn, it promotes women as sexual objects as much as Playboy.