The Rape Trap

So there is this new "device" that goes inside a woman, a kind of plastic female condom that has plastic barbs on the inside to snare an unwanted man's penis, as in the case of a rape.

The barbs would become stuck on the man's penis and it would only be able to be surgically removed, which would then notify hospital personal the man was a potential rapist.

Some concerns were that by a man sticking himself into one of these he would become more enraged with the woman and be more physically violent towards her. A second concern was that women would trick men into having sex with them unawares of the device to "frame" them for rape. The third concern is that rapists would be more likely to prod a woman with other things first to determine if the woman was wearing the device.

I think this is a very interesting idea, and good points are made for each side of the argument. I would never wear one, but I don't live in an area where I am particularly scared of being raped. I can see how it would be a security device in areas where rape is more common, like in South Africa where the inventor lives & rape rates are high. I would be concerned about the physical violence aspect and the unwanted "prodding". I suppose it's like any "security" device, if used properly and as intended it can be beneficial but there is always the chance of something going wrong.

The article:
"The Los Angeles Times brings us a story about South African inventor Sonette Ehlers and her new anti-rape female condom.

So what is this device, for which design Ms Ehlers was inspired after meeting a traumatised rape victim who told her, "If only I had teeth down there", all about? A medieval device built on hatred of men? Or a cheap, easy-to-use invention that could free millions of South African women from fear of rape, in a country with the world's worst sexual assault record?
"Rapex", the condom-like device bristling with internal hooks designed to snare rapists has re-ignited controversy over South Africa's alarming rape rate, even before plans for its production were announced in Western Cape this week.

The device, concealed inside a woman's body, hooks onto a rapist during penetration and must be surgically removed.

Ms Ehlers said the rape trap would be so painful for a rapist that it would disable him immediately, enabling his victim to escape; but would cause no long-term physical damage and could not injure the woman.

"I don't hate men. I love men. I have not got revenge in mind. All I am doing is giving women their power back," Ms Ehlers said. "I don't even hate rapists. But I hate the deed with a passion.""

http://medgadget.com/archives/2005/09/the_rape_trap.html

The Official Site (you can find pics here if you're interested)
http://www.rapestop.net/


Of course the Wiki article:

"The anti-rape female condom (aka vaginal bear trap, brand name Rapex) was invented by Sonette Ehlers, a South African woman. It is intended to prevent rape by hooking onto an attacker's penis, hurting and disabling him.

The device is a latex tube fitted internally with shafts of sharp, inward-facing plastic barbs that could be worn by a woman in her vagina, similar to a tampon. Should an attacker attempt vaginal rape, the penis would be hooked by the barbs, causing the attacker pain and giving the victim time to escape. The condom would remain attached to the attacker's penis and, according to the device's creator, could be removed only surgically[citation needed], which would alert hospital staff and police that an attempted rape could have taken place. Furthermore, the device's inventor believes that the very existence of the device in over-the-counter stores could also act as a deterrent by creating the possibility in a potential rapist's mind that victims might be using it. However, the fact that a man was injured by the device would not in and of itself mean he was a rapist, due to the possibility of abuse of the device (see criticism).

According to Ehlers, the Rapex would also act as a female condom, reducing chances of impregnation or STD infection. However, there is no scientific research that supports her claim. Ehlers herself claims that the device prevents STDs because "there is no body fluid inside you from the rapist."[1]

In South Africa it is estimated that one million rapes occur each year. [2] This led to the creation of RAPEX (its trademark name).[3] South Africa has the highest rate of sexual assault- and AIDS - in the world.[4]

Rapex even has its own official website (rapestop.net) where plans are in motion for making and distributing comprehensive information packages about the product. It has also been patented. PATENT NO: PCT/ZA2005/00138

The device has only been tested using plastic male and female genitalia. [citation needed]
The device was unveiled on August 31, 2005 in South Africa. Production will start later this year if severe criticism is overcome"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-rape_female_condom