Anti-rape condom ready for SA World Cup
The Rape-aXe (Photo: Rape-aXe)
A South African doctor wants to distribute 30,000 free anti-rape condoms for women ahead of the football World Cup. Dr Sonnet Ehlers first developed the special condom five years ago and says it is now ready for widespread use.
The Rape-aXe, as it is called, is a condom women can insert themselves. The interior has tiny spines which, in case of rape, attach to the man's penis.
Dr Ehlers emphasizes that they do not draw blood, since this would increase the danger of HIV infection. However, they do cause a great deal of pain if the man tries to remove the condom. The condom has to be removed in hospital, she says, which means the rapist can immediately be arrested.
Critics argue that the Rape-aXe could work as a provocation and the rapist is likely to become more violent when he realises he has been trapped.
The anti-rape condom is not yet available in the shops in South Africa and has not yet been tried out on test subjects.
