Friday, September 02, 2005
Anti rape condom
KLEINMOND, South Africa (Reuters) - A South African inventor unveiled a new anti-rape female condom on Wednesday that hooks onto an attacker's penis and aims to cut one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the world.
"Nothing has ever been done to help a woman so that she does not get raped and I thought it was high time," Sonette Ehlers, 57, said of the "rapex," a device worn like a tampon that has sparked controversy in a country used to daily reports of violent crime.
Police statistics show more than 50,000 rapes are reported every year, while experts say the real figure could be four times that as they say most rapes of acquaintances or children are never reported.
Ehlers said the "rapex" hooks onto the rapist's skin, allowing the victim time to escape and helping to identify perpetrators.
"He will obviously be too pre-occupied at this stage," she told reporters in Kleinmond, a small holiday village about 100km (60 miles) east of Cape Town. "I promise you he is going to be too sore. He will go straight to hospital."
The device, made of latex and held firm by shafts of sharp barbs, can only be removed from the man through surgery which will alert hospital staff, and ultimately, the police, she said.
It also reduces the chances of a woman falling pregnant or contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases from the attacker by acting in the same way as a female condom.
South Africa has more people with HIV/AIDS than any other country, with one in nine of its 45 million population infected.
Ehlers, who showed off a prototype on Wednesday, said women had tried it for comfort and it had been tested on a plastic male model but not yet on a live man. Production was planned to start next year.
But the "rapex" has raised fears amongst anti-rape activists that it could escalate violence against women.
"If a victim is wearing such a device it may enrage the attacker further and possibly result in more harm being caused," said Sam Waterhouse, advocacy coordinator for Rape Crisis.
Other critics say the condom is medieval and barbaric -- an accusation Ehlers says should be directed rather at the act of rape.
"This is not about vengeance ... but the deed, that is what I hate," she said.
# posted by Abeni @ 12:17 PM 
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Sounds uncomfortable even for the wearer and am assuming you have to wear it all the time.After all who knows when they going to get raped?
Trust me, no man is going to put up a good fight after his nuts have been porcupined. Good idea.....
Me like that... a dat fi happen to them! Hey, you notice how they said it had been tested on a plastic male model? It sound like they are raping off the men down there too :-o
Sounds like Sodom and Gomorroh to backside!
Sounds like Sodom and Gomorroh to backside!
dont know if this is good or bad. i mean i like the idea that it ould stop rapes but would women have to walk around wearing it all day, i mean even tampons ya duz only wear fa a certain amount a time per day. den can ya sleep in it or is it safe ta sleep in it? what happens if its more than one man attack ya still dont solve dat situation.
still better ta try something than not do anything right
still better ta try something than not do anything right
On paper this idea of how to prevent a rape sounds like a decent one. But in the actual world it probably won't be affective or popular. Only time will tell whether it's good or bad. I say all women carry peper spray and take self-defense. No matter what, rape is almost impossible to prevent.
It's ridiculous the amount of rapes that take place in South Africa, but I don't know if this is the solution. I see a lot of room for problems.
Oh my uh...being a woman I am all for our safety. But I'm confused about this device. Now is the woman supposed to wear this all the time in case she gets raped or something? And if it's just something you put on, how do you know when to put it on? It's not like people know they're going to get raped. Well, maybe I'm not understanding that part well but I have to agree with the person who says that most times you can't avoid the rape. Most rapes occur because the women are too frighten to fight back. Now what happens if she has this device on, the man gets so mad that he kills her? This just doesn't seem like it's going to work too well. And has it been tested? How does it effect the female body I wonder? Could disease or other problems erupt? No I'll stick with Mace, screaming and self-defense tactics thanks very much. I honestly wouldn't trust something like this. I mean, oh, I can't even picture it. And what if it doesn't even work? Not trying to be funny or anything but this just doesn't seem like it will be a big hit. But hey, maybe I'm wrong. But I know a lot of women aren't going to want to wear it. I guarantee that. Anyway, I'll also would rather rely on the weapon all women were born with...our knees. If you get the picture. At least I know THAT works.
what in the heezy? thats interesting. i have never heard of anything like that. the motives behind it are good, but i dont know it will work. do females have to wear it all the time? do u change it like a tampon, or do u keep the same one and take it out at night or something. not everyone can wear a tampon, u have to be "expanded" first before sticking any ol' thing up there. besides, who knows where they are going to get raped?
Could work for some women, but being smart to avoid bad situations, being aware of your surroundings, and being able to use various weapons for self-defense (from martial arts to mace/pepper spray to firearms) would seem a better route.
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# posted by 
: 8:42 AM
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