As part of efforts to reduce the rate at which women are raped, a medical expert, Dr. Sonnet Ehlers of South Africa decided to come up with a unique innovation – a condom that could leave rapists in tears and greatly hurt each time they violate any of the users.
A report by Human Rights Watch disclosed that South Africa is among the countries across the globe with the highest record of rape incidents, hence Ehlers’ decision to invent the anti-rape device known as Rape-aXe, which looks exactly like a condom but for the teeth.
Ehlers disclosed the kind of pain she felt some fourty years ago, when she was just 20, when a rape victim walked into her office.
“She looked at me and said, ‘If only I had teeth down there. I promised her I’d do something to help people like her one day,” she said.
Rape-aXe is a latex condom with rows of jagged teeth which women insert into their privates just the same way the tampons are being worn.
The jagged teeth catches up with a rapist’s penis after penetration and once the device is latched on, the only way to get it off is to have a doctor remove it.
At least a visit at the doctors would implicate the victim, and Dr. Ehlers hopes that the device will assist authorities in bringing rapists to book in South Africa.
She said: “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.
“I consulted engineers, gynecologists and psychologists to help in the design and make sure it was safe.
“I believe something’s got to be done … and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman.”
Below are some photos of the device. (Click on any image to enlarge).
