The Latest in Rape Prevention

Look at the image first, then read the article.

KLEINMOND, South Africa - 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," Ehlers told reporters in Kleinmond, a small village about 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.

Image Two

How it works

So apparently, you have to let the guy get off with poking you at least once anyway?! I dunno about that shit.

I don't know about it either. and theoreticaly, if rapists knew this device was out there, couldnt they stick a couple fingers in, find the edge of it and pull it out before they did their thing?

If you think that's bad, think about the early 20th century devices consisting of a metal tube -- closed and rounded at the far end for insertion, but open ended at the entrance with a long metal barbed spike. (Or in one version I saw, three spikes.) The rapist who forces himself in gets impaled on the spike. I can't find the diagrams of it right now, but they're pretty horrific. I don't know if they were ever used succesfully to injure an assailant, rather than to just give Edwardian women a sense of security.

[quote=Heather LouAnna;617784]women had tried it for comfort and it had been tested on a plastic male model but not yet on a live man. [/quote]

(emphasis added)
Who's the lucky guy they're going to find to test it on?

Your poll is stupid cuz it has differnt options for men and women

The poll is not stupid. Rape is no laughing matter

The idea is good.
But is it safe for the women?

As someone who's been in the situation more than her fair share of times, I'm a strong supporter of sliting the little bastards throat before he gets to the stage where this is of use.

If however you dont feel this is appropriate for you, I guess misunderstandings and shit can happen, then something equally as off putting but slightly less terminal could be used. I dunno, legs, arms, so many options.

This device is moronic. The only way it is of any use is if the guy actually "gets in" advertising it as a deterant it moronic as your not very likely to walk around with a sign on your back saying your wearing on.

This will only lead to more rapists getting away with it, women who feel slightly pressured are less likely to put up a fight because the only way to make sure the guy is "marked" is to let him get on with it, and by doing so, taking any real claim of rape out of the question.

I agree that something needs to be conjured up...but Wouldnt the blood from the barbs going into an Engorged Penis (thats what makes it hard for those who didnt know...) start spraying blood into the vagina and pose a more serious health threat I.E. Aids, HIV, bla bla bla.

Im all for making them pay for doing that, however this one seems too risky for the female as well.

C

You are correct. The poll itself has an IQ of exactly zero.

Nobody here is an expert on the device, but I doubt blood is going to spray everywhere. They're barbs, not Samurai swords.

The whole purpose of this device is for use in a society in which up to 50% of the population is HIV positive and in which some men believe that sex with a virgin will cure them of the disease. It's to take out a small percentage of rapists in an environment where women are not safe in any way. The device would be...less than convenient and not really helpful in most places, as women would have to wear it all the time, wherever they go--women in, say, most of Europe and Northern America are not at such risk as much of the time. While rape is always a possibility, I would say that women in these societies are not quite as fearful for their lives as their sisters on the African continent.

That said, if it works even a handful of times, rip 'em to shreds, girls.

I would never knock anyone for tying to help stop a serious and unacceptable crime. But this product fails on several levels.

Would women really wear it? as pointed out.

Does it have any prevention merit? I don't think so, as you would have to let men know that you were using it and then they would simply remove it. Rapists will be carrying latex dildos.

Would it lead to escalated violence against the woman? Probably, both if they found it and if it got attached.

Will it be used maliciously? Probably

Why not carry a pepper spray with a permanent dye marker or just the dye marker?

Why does the South African government do so little to address this woeful situation and the ignorance surrounding Aids?

A lot of you are complaining that the only way for this device to work is to "let the rapist" get in first. Don't make me laugh. Who "lets" a rapist fuck her? I would argue that even a woman who doesn't put up a fight when she is attacked still isn't just "letting" a man violate her. He's forcing her through physical force or fear. That's what rape is. Not all women react the same way to a given situation. What the shit? How is that escaping some of you?

In the article there's a woman worried that the pain would only anger an assailant, making him start to beat the woman. Well I'd argue he already hated her and was likely to kick her ass anyway, especially if she had been putting up a a good fight.

I think this is a good idea. I have yet to read an opinion opposing it which makes much sense to me.

I'll tell you one thing I have observed. Women who have not been sexually assaulted always talk big about how it couldn't happen to them. They'd fight, and they'd win. They'd leave him marked and bruised and walk away without getting raped, and with plenty of his DNA under their nails. ha! But if you talk to survivors, they fought, and got raped anyway. Or they didn't fight, and got raped because they were scared. On page 7 of her book Lucky, Alice Siebold says, "Those who say they would rather fight to the death than be raped are fools. I would rather be raped a thousand times. You do what you have to." In parts of her book she discusses the shame, self-hatred and guilt she feels about "assisting" her attacker. She describes every gory second of her rape in crystal clear detail. Read, ladies, and see if you would really not try anything- anything at all to gain an advantage against violent crime if you lived in a place where it was not merely a matter of if, but rather when. It's not even just South Africa. I once read an article about how women who worked the swing shift in a certain border town in Mexico were disappearing left and right. Most were never found, but many turned up later sexually assaulted and mutilated. A small handful escaped with their lives, but were raped, beaten, and obviously believed dead by their assailants. Like Ms. Siebold says, you do what you think you have to.

I'm glad the option will be there.

And what's up with the men who voted in the poll that they don't like it because the thought hurts their penis? Fuck! We're talkinng about rapists, not Bozo the Clown. Should their dicks hurt at the very least?

You go on about survivors and what they have to say... I'm a fucking survivor, many here know of my past in detail and I tell you one thing....

Women are bitches (not all ofc). Why did I not go to the police the first time? Because I was 12yo and couldn't deal with having to go through it all again in front of others. Why didn't I at 15 when it happened again (and worse by far)? Because the papers were full of women who'd falsly accused men of rape as a means to punish the male population for simply being male. These women still maintain it happened, but because a few people decided that they didn't believe them, not only did the men walk free but charges were brought against the women for what their lie telling had done to these men.

Now whilst I realise that men are faulsly accused all the time, many also walk free from crimes they did commit.

Based on the fact that we know women (its well documented) have been known to have one night stands and panic claiming rape, or simply do so to wrongly claim rape, this product will NOT work. Yes for many it would, but it would be abused far too much by women who simply want to seek revenge on a specific or non specific guy.

As for "Rather fight to the death than go through it again" bollocks. I'd fight with everything I had everytime, it wasn't the case when I was younger, I was petrified and couldn't move let alone bloody fight. If this leads to my death then so be it, I did what I could and thats that, if it leads to his, then great, but I doubt it would, men are generally stronger and he'd have a lot of adrenaline going on which I wouldn't. But the last 2 times, I did fight, it happened anyway, and I dealt with it my way afterwards.

You have no right in telling us what we would and wouldn't, should and shouldn't do. Each woman is different, those experienced first hand will deal with it differently, those without only have their expectations of themself to go on and how dare you tell them they are wrong. Many women every week escape from attempted rapes because they fought back and won.

As for my qualifications to speak on the subject... I was raped periodically for a 4 month period when I was 12. Gang raped at 15. Raped periodically by my partner over the space of a year at 17 and and then again by a close friend at 22.

Thankfully I'm still sane, many aren't and after the first, maybe even second time, would have gone out seeking revenge for these acts. This device gives them the means to do so without any come back.

As for your closing comments about the men who said no because it would hurt thier cock... Too fucking right it would hurt, I personally don't think it hurts quite enough, no where near enough, and with plastic surgery scars can be hidden or removed. I don't like the option at all. Rapists should be branded for live (unless I'm allowed to bring back torture? nah didn't think so) but don't judge me too harshly, on this. Whilst I totally disagree with this as an option, I totally agree that something needs to be done both something which both acts as a deterant and marks the guy doing it. We need to find something how ever that isn't so open to abuse, women aint always the victims ya know, and women can be damn right evil when they want to be. It will be abused and innocent men will suffer.