November 21, 2007

Take back the night

You know, some stuff you just can't make up. And this article about the Rapex female condom is one of those things. This is a post from The First Post about this new device which is designed to prevent rape. It's basically a female condom that is lined with tiny razors that cut and bury themselves into the rapist's penis upon penetration. I say good to the woman who invented this. And I don't care if the rapist ends up with a mangled piece of roadkill hanging from between his legs for the rest of his life because he deserves it.


Rape: now women can bite back

The words of a rape victim - "If only I had teeth down there" - have inspired the design of a new anti-rape device.

Rapex - dubbed the 'rape trap' - is a product worn internally by women. The hollow inside is lined with rows of razor-sharp hooks, which are designed to latch on to a rapist's penis during penetration. They can only be removed by a doctor.

The product will be on the shelves of South African chemists and supermarkets later this month. South African mother-of-two Sonette Ehlers developed the original prototype in 2005 but has struggled to get it patented and approved for sale, not least because of staunch opposition from feminist groups.

"Vengeful, horrible, and disgusting," was the response from Charlene Smith, one of South Africa's leading anti-rape campaigners. Lisa Vetten, of the Centre of Violence and


A device that barbs onto rapists’ penises is causing outcry, says elaine hake


Reconciliation in Johannesburg, says: "This is like going back to the days when women were forced to wear chastity belts. It is a terrifying thought that women are being made to adapt to rape."

Some also fear that the sudden infliction of pain on the rapist could incite him to even greater violence.

Ehlers, however, is adamant that desperate times call for desperate measures. South Africa has the world's highest rate of sexual assault: a staggering 1.7m women are raped each year. She believes the product, priced at one Rand, will be particularly useful for poorer black women who walk long distances to and from work.

With state intervention frustratingly slow, Ehlers argues this ugly version of empowerment is justified. "I don't hate men," she says. "I have not got revenge in mind. All I am doing is giving women their power back."
FIRST POSTED APRIL 4, 2007

Seriously, look at the barbs in this thing.



To learn more about the Rapex condom, go to their site at http://www.rapestop.net/

No comments: