Anti-rape device spurs controversy

The device, which must be concealed inside a woman’s body, hooks onto a rapist during penetration, and must be surgically removed.

Ehlers, a former medical technician, said the rape trap would be so painful for a rapist that it would disable him immediately, enabling his victim to escape; but she insisted it would cause no long-term physical damage to the assailant, and could not accidentally injure the woman.

Charlene Smith, an outspoken journalist and anti-rape campaigner, said the device “goes back to the concept of chastity belts” and predicted it would incite injured rapists to kill their victims. “You will get a higher rate of women being killed,” Smith said. “We don’t need these nut-case devices by people hoping to make a lot of money out of other women’s fear.”

But Ehlers contends that South Africa’s rape problem is so severe that women cannot just wait for male attitudes to improve with education. She said her company had received many inquiries from around the world in recent months, even though production — probably in Asia — is not expected to begin until next year.

“I don’t hate men. I love men. I have not got revenge in mind. All I am doing is giving women their power back,” Ehlers said in an interview.

The single-use disposable device would sell for one rand, (about 15 cents) and Ehlers plans to market it in packets of 10 at major supermarkets.

Ehlers said she was inspired to design the device after meeting a traumatized young rape victim in a hospital in 1969, who told her, “If only I had teeth down there.” Ehlers said she kept the memory, struggling to overcome engineering problems to develop the device, which is soft “like a jelly baby”.Mbr>

LAT-WP