Rape: now women get the chance to bite back

A device that clamps razor-sharp barbs onto rapists’ penises is causing an outcry among South African feminist groups

FIRST POSTED APRIL 4, 2007

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.

Rapex is designed to give rapists a painful surprise

"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 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

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I have a feeling the "feminists" that oppose this device have never been raped, or ever had a family member raped. My grandmother was raped and murdered 30 years ago. If this device had been around and widely used back then, maybe there would have been fewer rapists on the prowl. More power to the inventor, I hope a huge number of women use it and add biological toxins to it to make the rapists incapable of ever committing the crime again.

Posted by Craig Frey at 11:16pm on November 15, 2007

At first glance, this may seem like a decent idea... but how do you think the rapist will react after he is "trapped"? Will he not become more violent towards his victim? This will not solve the problem of rape. Women (or any citizen) should not have to take the law into their own hands - a reform of the judicial system and more protection should be made available to the population if rape is such a problem.

Posted by marie-pier rivest at 7:36pm on November 24, 2007

Wonderful, but I feel you are all (unless I am) missing something... Why is it assumed that the rapists will not learn of this device and simply check for it before raping?

Posted by John Smith at 12:42pm on February 11, 2008

I believe this is a brilliant idea, we are sick and tired of the rape stats crime increasing by the minute. I disagree with a comment posted by Marie...24 Nov 07, The rapist will be so focused on the rapex grabbing his private part that he would not have time to be violent towards his victim, which inturn gives his victim time to get away. It is not taking law into one's hands, it is protecting oneself, how many woman have contracted AIDS from rape, how many children are conceived in rape - How is that child going to grow up not knowing his dad? Rape is a problem, Some of our fellow Sisters has been raped and killed(Just to shut them up), some are been repeatedly raped and threatened to keep quite or else...Guys let's be realistic and the judicial is trying everything it can, to put a stop to it, but to no avail - I think this device should be put on the shelves, we should not use the word "Will not solve" Let us try it out and see, this will probably be the end of our suffering. These animals are so ignorant, i promise you a lot of them won't know about the device until it happens to them. Let us not fail to try, let's give it a shot - BRING IT ON

Posted by Powerade at 1:20pm on May 12, 2008

I myself have never been raped. I can only imagine the trauma involved but I don't think these are the answer. First they are like a modern chastity belt. If you put one in, it completely obliterates the possibility of consensual sex until you can find a doctor to remove it. No woman ever wants to be raped but no matter where you we live or who we are, sometimes we do want sex. Second, I agree that these could incite rapists to violence. And as bad as rape is, murder is worse. Sometimes both occur whether or not any harm was inflicted on the rapist. But I don't see any reason to provoke it further.

Posted by Kate Christie at 3:58am on May 13, 2008

Reminds me of the American war on Vietnam days, when north Vietnamese women would put razor blades into their vaginas as they knew the good old boys from the US military would have their freedom loving ways with them. The reality is that rape is a crime of domination and power (not sex) and is a well known and recommended tool of war. When I lived in Indonesia my military friends told me that Indonesian Kopassus (Indonesian special forces) troops were told to rape Acehnese and West Papuan women..(and the odd bloke too). I think this gives women a fight back weapon in regions like South Africa where rape is endemic. Melody Kemp Laos.

Posted by melody kemp at 11:57am on June 26, 2008

I think that perhaps there are feminists who have been raped who oppose this device, but that should not allow them to dictate whether another woman can choose to wear it. I think this kind of thing is long overdue. I would simply want it checked out more thoroughly for safety to the wearer. Some women may choose to wear the same device as opposed changing it, and the potential for infection must be made clear.

Posted by Vandna H at 9:06pm on January 22, 2009

i do agree with all the comments above, but as with marie-pier's comment, it's really not all about revenge. that simply propagates an inwardly-spiralling cirle of hatred and abuse. thought this guy's thoughts were somewhat interesting (just to share): http://cogito.faii.net/femdefence-protection-from-rape/

Posted by Hogart Wilmes at 1:03pm on March 3, 2009

Wow. Okay, I'm sorry, but I'm just gonna have to unload. I've read another article on another site on an anti-rape device and I can't believe how alike all the commentary and opinions from the article are. First, what are the "feminists" bitching about, *exactly*? And second, chastity belts??? And I'm sorry, but rape IS about sex. Which is why it's called sex-crime, and sex trafficking, etc..not "domination crimes" or "domination trafficking". The forced sex act itself is what sets it apart from other violent crimes. Yes, the motive behind some rape can include pure violence and also domination, but it is most definitely about sex. Or else people would not be clamoring to protect their genitals. Whichever group started that "rape isn't about sex" campaign years back did the whole topic a disservice. I noticed no one started a "homicide isn't about killing' campaign. It makes about as much sense. The "feminists". I put "feminists" in quotes because I can't tell if they are actually feminists. Because I don't know any who would tell another woman to her face that she should not make an attempt at avoiding being raped or gang-raped, forcibly impregnated and exposed to a menagerie of sexually-transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, simply because the method wasn't pretty or popular. Yet these feminists appear to be, for some reason I cannot even fathom, placing responsibility for the controversy surrounding the horrors of rape, and the negativity that comes with it, on the WOMEN here. Instead of leaving it all where it belongs, on the MEN WHO ARE THE RAPISTS. "Vengeful, hateful, and disgusting" is what RAPE is, sisters. "Vengeful", "hateful" and "disgusting" are words that I would think a feminist would attribute to the rapists', and their attitudes about the women they are violating, whose lives they are destroying. They're NOT words you should be using to describe a woman's attempts to protect herself when not enough people give a damn. Chastity Belt. This situation in Africa was on an epidemic scale, and seriously? how dare they compare it to something so misrepresented as the so-called "chastity belt". The actual history of the chastity belt is not what is parodied and romanticized in movies, and the modern bdsm play of today. And actually, women would choose to wear those of their own free will as well. Once again, not only but often, to avoid the sexual advances of the men around them. And this "it'll just make the rapist angry" thing. And this is the woman's fault? Because she chose to try to protect herself? So she is "taking the law into her own hands", is she? So we should all just give up, and lay back and take it, is that it? Okay, so the next time I see a woman being forcibly dragged into a psycho's van or something, I should tell her to stop using her self-defense classes on him. Because she wouldn't want to take the law into her own hands or anything. Because God forbid we make rapists angry. Because that is basically what that is saying. Sooo, we are going right back to placing the responsibilty for what a monster decideds to do to an innocent woman, on the woman? Instead of the monster? Instead of trying to stop and correct the MEN in the society, all the caution and decisons and blame for whatever happens falls on the female again. "Well uh-oh, if you die during your rape, it could be your fault, so better watch it ladies, make a decision, do you wanna die? Or do you just want rape and AIDS?" You know what? My suggestion to the country's protestors on this device is this...when they ALL decide they really want this rape epidemic bullsh*t to be over, and they actually do a zero-tolerance thing and capture these sadistic sociopaths and start throwing them all in the holes they deserve to be in, then they can comment on how women should protect their own bodies. But since they aren't doing that, they probably should shut the eff up until they have some better ideas than "don't make them angry". The woman says in the article "I don't hate men." Wow. I can hardly believe she even said that, because that has NOTHING to do with this. But that is the main problem I am seeing here. People are taken aback by the fact that the device is designed specifically to harm a man's penis, so ooooh, oh noooo...controversial... Look. This is NOT about about consensual sex, or hating or loving men, period. This is about rape. And rapists are not acting like good, positive, loving men. They are destroying people's lives like savage and destructive animals and should be treated as such. It is really laughable if anyone is concerned for the rapists' in this way. I hope lots of them get mangled. Lots. And I hope the women escape to report to the son of bitches to someone who will do something about it. What she should have said was, "I don't hate men....but I do hate rapists!" The only major flaws I see in it is I can't tell if they're saying that this particular device itself has to be removed by a doctor, of if it's the rapist who has to see a doctor in order to get the barbs removed. And...They need to make one for the rectum and the mouth. Because males try to put it in every orifice that you have on your body. And unfortunately that device is only for one of them. And...a penis is not the only thing a woman gets raped with, so if a rapists is intent on raping, they will get it done. But at least objects don't carry the abiltity to impregnate...more iffy on the diseases though.

Posted by R M at 2:13pm on May 9, 2009

Feminists. Jeez. 'we wantz moar powah'. Well, for once I agree with you people. Unfortunately there is no method of preventing rape, while the woman can still engage in anything that even resembles sex. Rapists aren't completely stupid. They could check. Which would get the woman beaten up. Or worse - if he didn't check I would be surprised if a woman could survive through a beating that a rapist would deal if he has barbs latched on his penis as a result of a defence mechanism. I'd hate to see what happens when a woman *forgets* to take it off during a relationship. Guy can't check, "what, you don't trust me?! *slap*" "I don't hate men" Why thank you, I don't hate women either. YOU seem to have a problem with humanity, though, as you're releasing this product. The poster above me seems to have most of my comments to other posters covered. Well done.

Posted by Average Joe at 12:54pm on June 13, 2009

I think some of the people posting comments have misunderstood the device. A woman can remove it from her body. It is the man who cannot remove the device from his penis once he is "hooked". Those of you saying that a woman has no chance at consensual sex while using the device are incorrect. She can simply insert it before going out on the town and remove it when she returns home.

Posted by Aimee Valle at 4:08am on July 17, 2009

What we're neglecting to address is group rape. So, one man encounters the Rapex device...there's a group of enraged men there to finish the job. And I would assume that the violence against the woman would be greatly increased. She would be must less likely to survive the attack. I don't have any stats on me, but I do understand that group rape is on the rise in many African regions. I am afraid that ultimately, this device is not the quick-fix solution we all crave...but we really need to work harder to help and empower one another to address the injustices happening around the world.

Posted by m n at 9:00pm on September 11, 2009