barfly
02-09-05, 16:15
Johannesburg (dpa) - An ordinary South African woman prompted to
action by the high number of rapes around the country this week
launched a weapon against a crime to which grandmothers, infants
and little girls often fall victim.
Dubbed "the penis flytrap" by South African media, the plastic and
latex device in the shape of a condom is designed to fit inside a
woman's vagina. It is inserted and removed with an applicator as with
a tampon.
In the event of penetration, a razor-sharp network of "teeth" with
which it is fitted becomes embedded in the man's penis, causing
severe pain.
Once attached, the device can only be removed surgically.
"It will make men think twice," said 57-year-old Sonette Ehlers
who invented and patented the device - officially called the "Rapex"
- that was launched in the small town of Kleinmond in the Cape where
she lives.
"The Penis Flytrap chomps rapists!" a Johannesburg-based newspaper
declared a day after the launch of the Rapex, which is expected to
sell alongside condoms for around one rand (or 15 U.S. cents) each.
South Africans have been debating the pros and cons of the device.
Prominent Johannesburg-based gender activist Lisa Vetten said that
the device normalised rape and placed the responsibility for
preventing rape on women.
Others expressed concern that the use of the device during a
power-driven crime like rape, could result in the victim being
murdered.
Reacting to further criticism that her invention amounted to a
medieval contraption not unlike the chastity belts of old, Ehlers
declared in a radio interview: "It's a medieval weapon for a medieval
man."
Ehlers told listeners she was motivated by the obvious need to
help women defend themselves against rapists. The device took shape
after she conducted research into the crime and commissioned an
engineer to develop the Rapex.
That the device would be open to abuse, she agreed but urged women
to use it responsibly, in an interview on South African radio.
Some have accused Ehlers, who has also punted the efficacy of the
device in preventing AIDS infection and pregnancy through, of cashing
in on fear.
Although the official number of rapes is estimated at around
50,000 a year in South Africa, non-governmental agencies and women's
rights groups say the figure is just the tip of the iceberg.
The judicial system has a poor record of bringing rapists to book.
Many rape survivors go on with their lives without every speaking of
or reporting the incidents to police.
Goed initiatief :D
action by the high number of rapes around the country this week
launched a weapon against a crime to which grandmothers, infants
and little girls often fall victim.
Dubbed "the penis flytrap" by South African media, the plastic and
latex device in the shape of a condom is designed to fit inside a
woman's vagina. It is inserted and removed with an applicator as with
a tampon.
In the event of penetration, a razor-sharp network of "teeth" with
which it is fitted becomes embedded in the man's penis, causing
severe pain.
Once attached, the device can only be removed surgically.
"It will make men think twice," said 57-year-old Sonette Ehlers
who invented and patented the device - officially called the "Rapex"
- that was launched in the small town of Kleinmond in the Cape where
she lives.
"The Penis Flytrap chomps rapists!" a Johannesburg-based newspaper
declared a day after the launch of the Rapex, which is expected to
sell alongside condoms for around one rand (or 15 U.S. cents) each.
South Africans have been debating the pros and cons of the device.
Prominent Johannesburg-based gender activist Lisa Vetten said that
the device normalised rape and placed the responsibility for
preventing rape on women.
Others expressed concern that the use of the device during a
power-driven crime like rape, could result in the victim being
murdered.
Reacting to further criticism that her invention amounted to a
medieval contraption not unlike the chastity belts of old, Ehlers
declared in a radio interview: "It's a medieval weapon for a medieval
man."
Ehlers told listeners she was motivated by the obvious need to
help women defend themselves against rapists. The device took shape
after she conducted research into the crime and commissioned an
engineer to develop the Rapex.
That the device would be open to abuse, she agreed but urged women
to use it responsibly, in an interview on South African radio.
Some have accused Ehlers, who has also punted the efficacy of the
device in preventing AIDS infection and pregnancy through, of cashing
in on fear.
Although the official number of rapes is estimated at around
50,000 a year in South Africa, non-governmental agencies and women's
rights groups say the figure is just the tip of the iceberg.
The judicial system has a poor record of bringing rapists to book.
Many rape survivors go on with their lives without every speaking of
or reporting the incidents to police.
Goed initiatief :D