Sent to you by Tony via Google Reader:
A Freudian nightmare has finally been realised with the invention of an "anti-rape condom," a device which fits inside a woman's vagina and ensnares any wayward penises with rows of sharp little barbed teeth.
The South African woman responsible for the device, Sonnet Ehlers, recalls an encounter with a hospitalised rape victim during her time as a medical researcher 40 years ago – "If only I had teeth down there," the woman said.
Thus was born her idea for an innovative if grotesque anti-rape device – the Rape-aXe.
The device takes the form of a condom-like device worn inside the vagina, but with the addition of rows of razor sharp plastic teeth, pointed backward to allow entry but then to snare the penis on withdrawal.
An assailant withdrawing will find the sheath attached to his penis by scores of these little barbs, and is unlikely to be able to remove it without medical attention, it is said. A trip to the hospital would then allow him to be pinpointed as a likely rapist.
The device is designed to avoid drawing blood so it does not create hygiene problems.
Assuming it operates correctly and the victim escapes further outrage, the device also eliminates risk of pregnancy or STD transmission.
Critics suggest the device is unlikely to discourage rapists in situations where there are multiple assailants or where there is ample time to investigate the victim, and may in fact provoke them into further acts of violence.
It is also not clear how difficult it would be for an assailant, or the wearer herself if under duress, to simply remove the device.
Others are positive the device will help:
"What people need is this condom. When men hear about this, they will be scared. They won't know who has protected herself and who not.
Women try to fight, to save themselves, but you can't fight men. You don't know when they're going to rape you, you can't walk with a weapon. It comes abruptly… It's done in darkness."
South African women face the highest rates of sexual violence in the world, with a quarter of South African men admitting to having raped someone.
Conviction rates are dismal, and the government began drastically restricting gun ownership in 2005, an act which critics contend coincided with a substantial increase in violent crime in a nation already awash with illegal weapons.
A vagina with teeth may indeed be one of the few recourses available to South African women under the circumstances.
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Sankaku Complex using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
No comments:
Post a Comment