A pocket-sized flamethrower capable of hurling a half-meter flame is the latest ‘anti-pervert’ tool being marketed to Chinese women on Taobao.
The device, which kind of resembles a lightsaber, sells for RMB90-300, and as many as 200 to 300 are sold each month on the site, according to Beijing Youth Daily.
While the flame can leave a decent burn, and certainly a permanent scar, its manufacturers insist that it's not a weapon but a tool of defense.
One seller claims that most people who see the fire will run away, making the 1,800-degree-Celsius flame a preventative device meant to deter an attack before it happens.
Sellers also claim that the device is safe for users, equipped with a safety lock to avoid unwanted bursts of fire. The public, however, is less convinced.
“Of course perverts are scary – but what’s even more scary are these ‘anti-pervert devices,” read one opinion piece, according to Metro.
The legality of such an item is also in question, and police have made clear that shipment of the device is “technically illegal.”
Bringing the flamethrower onto the metro, a hotspot for sexual predators, is also out of the question as it directly violates an array of guidelines set by the Ministry of Public Security.
The anti-pervert flamethrower is one of many devices available on Taobao for protecting against unwanted male advances. Ladies can also equip themselves with spiked and shock rings, metal batons, weaponized pens, pepper spray and secret alarms, among others.
Sexual harassment seems to pop up in the news on a regular basis in China. Last month a ‘magician’ used a coin trick to molest women on the streets of Chengdu and in late May, a man got caught taking ‘upskirt’ photos at a football match in Guangzhou.
[Images via Taobao]
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