Tuesday, June 22, 2010

What Do You Think of This Anti-Rape Device?


(Blogger not allowing me to post a photo, but I will as soon as I am able)

Called Rape-aXe, the female condom is inserted by a woman much like a tampon. Of the effects of the condom on an attacker, Ehlers explained, “It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it’s on. If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter… however, it doesn’t break the skin, and there’s no danger of fluid exposure.” Further more, only a doctor can remove Rape-aXe once it’s lodged on, meaning that hopefully, police can be on standby to make an arrest when the injured assailant look for medical help.

Ehlers designed the spiked condom after seeing the devastation in the eyes of a rape victim that came to her for help 40 years ago. She consulted engineers, gynecologists and psychologists to confirm that the design was safe and now plans to distribute 30,000 of them for free during the World Cup, after which they’ll be available for about $2 each. “The ideal situation would be for a woman to wear this when she’s going out on some kind of blind date … or to an area she’s not comfortable with,” she said.

Ehlers even visited prisons to speak to convicted rapists about whether such a device would have made them rethink their actions. “Some said it would have,” she said.

Some critics are saying that the device could lead to more violence by an attacker trapped by it, and that it is a medieval solution, a criticism to which Ehlers, a mother of two daughters responded, “Yes, my device may be a medieval, but it’s for a medieval deed that has been around for decades. I believe something’s got to be done … and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman.”

We do have one question about the design though – how does a woman take the device out herself and how can she prevent an attacker from doing the same?

Read more: South African Doctor Invents Female Condoms with 'Teeth' to Fight Sexual Assault | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Source: Inhabitat

2 comments:

Jarred said...

I don't know if you saw my comments about this on Twitter, but I'll repeat them here.

1. Like you, I wonder what prevents an attacker from just removing the device. I mean, obviously it has to be removable.

2. Can a woman realistically wear this at all times (other than when she plans to have sex?) I mean, wearing it while going on first/blind date or going to an unsafe part of town. But it's also my understanding that most rapes are performed by people the woman already knows and has at least a casual friendship. So unless she wears the device all the time, she's not protected. And that's not even getting into rape by one's husband or live-in partner!

3. I'm a bit concerned that some women may get a false sense of security from such a device and allow it replace their own sense of self-preservation and vigilance. I mean lets face it, even if a woman is attacked wearing this device, she's already been violated in the sense of being forced into a helpless state, had her clothes removed (or at least enough to expose herself to the man. She's even endured the initial penetration. That's already a lot of damage. So while this may stop the guy in his tracks, I think it stops him TOO LATE, and I hope women still do their best to protect themselves from the outset. This may be a good "last defense," but I pray it never becomes anyone's ONLY defense.

Aaron aka Frank said...

I agree with Jarred - it still allows initial penetration to occur, stopping the deed too late.

One thing will allow a woman to at least have a fighting change: Martial arts. As soon as my children are able to, they will be enrolled in self defence classes. It's sad that we feel that they need to learn how to defend themselves at such a young age, but they do.