back to article 'Toothed' condom hits rapists where it hurts

A South African doctor unveiled an anti-rape device designed to hit assailants where it hurts - the Rape-aXe biting condom. Dr Sonnet Ehlers and the Rape-aXe condom As a 20-year-old medical researcher, Dr Sonnet Ehlers (pictured with the Rape-aXe) met a rape victim who told her: "If only I had teeth down down there." Ehlers …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    erm....

    need a butt plug version then. . . . . .

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I see a slight flaw.

    Not withstanding sickapedia's all time best joke that statistically, 9 out of 10 people enjoy gang rape, I see a flaw in this.

    Before raping the woman, the man holds a gun to her head and says, if this hurts me, you die.

    I can't believe no-one's forseen this flaw, bearing in mind how many women will die as a result of it.

    Offhand, I can see a couple of ways to counter rape.

    1. DNA test everyone at birth and introduce the death penalty for first substantive allegation (not guilty verdict, but substantive allegation.) The male population will collapse, all the ugly men will be executed, and the male/female ratio will shoot down. The remaining men will be good looking, and the women will be desperate for it.

    2. Stop all welfare payments to women, and give the money to men instead. Women then will return to the lusty creatures they were viewed as in the middle ages. (I'm not saying that women are lusty creatures by nature (being short and ugly, I would say that,) but when women have no money, and men do, that's how your average man comes to perceive them.)

    However, I don't see women supporting point two, or your average to ugly looking men supporting point one.

    1. bothwell
      Thumb Down

      "Offhand, I can see a couple of ways to counter rape."

      Very poor. How about encouraging men (including, apparently, men like yourself) to comprehend that women are humans, not animals or material possessions, and they shouldn't be treated or thought of as the latter in any form of civilised society.

      I'd hazard a guess that actually it's your shitty attitude that puts women off you far more than your height or looks do. You might want to ruminate on that instead of blaming women for your own failures.

      1. Mostor Astrakan
        Grenade

        Up yours.

        "How about encouraging men to comprehend that women are humans, not animals or material possessions, and they shouldn't be treated or thought of as the latter in any form of civilised society"

        Strangely, most of us "potential rapists" are already aware that women have been acknowledged to be in the Human race, thank you very much. The problem is with the people who are NOT civilised members of this society.

        These things are a disaster waiting to happen, and to advertise them as a "rape prevention device" is a bald-faced lie. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this "device" only does its thing when the actual rape is well and truly under way. I daresay that the experience is traumatic for the victim long before that, especially when rapists learn to check the victim for potentially harmful devices. Any "rape prevention measures" should start functioning before the would-be assailant separates his intended victim from the herd.

        Which means, simply, that we need to look after each other. Yeah too bloody hard, I know.

        ---

        She concluded: "I believe something's got to be done ... and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman."

        ---

        Yes, it will make them think "I'd better stick in this broom handle first". Thanks for making the world a more violent place. But hey, if it gives you the warm fuzzy feeling that you've made a difference, even if that difference is a step backwards, then that's what's important, isn't it?

    2. Havin_it
      Coat

      I too see flaws

      Plan 1: Get used to regular rapings from ugly women (following your precept that ugly = rapist)

      Plan 2: Stand by for the imminent end of humanity as the men are too drunk to fuck and the women, without cash to help them hold the fabric of society together (or make the tea), are too weak from starvation to rape them.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Flame

      Following your logic

      Plan 3 - repeat 2nd world war.

      If you think that Russia or Germany were a lot different in the 40-50-es... Supply meet demand, demand meet supply. Some of that still lingers especially in Russian attitudes by the way.

      Though somehow something tells me that creating the situation you are describing may not be such a good idea...

  3. Martin 19
    FAIL

    This is so old that it tells kids to get off its lawn.

    I wonder when the very same thing will be reported by all yet again?

    1. Pawel 1
      Thumb Down

      It's called...

      PR agency sending another round emails every so often to get some free publicity.

  4. Thomas 18
    Thumb Up

    Hey Vicky, your living in a dream world

    Sounds like Victoria Kajja is living in a dream world. Similar to the people who oppose abortions, if the alternative is stuffing razor blades up there or going at yourself with a coat hanger I'm all for it.

    Need a version for prisons too though and how about one you can wear every day just in case. I'm guessing most of the people in these countries cant afford $1.50 a day. Wonder what's to stop a criminal just pulling it out though.

  5. Raidwen
    Paris Hilton

    There's a small issue with this...

    suddenly going out on the pull seems like an extremely bad idea.

    I understand it's currently for use in area's with excessively high rape percentages (South Africa etc) but how long will it be before it goes worldwide.

    I'm assuming of course that it's designed to be worn without too much discomfort to the woman, otherwise it's semi-pointless.

    Constant discomfort to avoid a slight risk (in the lower risk areas) isn't something people will choose unless they've had it happen to them.

    And once it does, how likely is it a woman will forget it's there after a night out on the pull..

    The situations don't bare thinking about.

    1. C Yates
      Happy

      "otherwise it's semi-pointless"

      *snigger* =)

  6. Lionel Baden
    Thumb Up

    Awesome !!

    I detest rapists and will welcome the the day that they get whats comming to them !!!

    I hereby Welcome our phallus munching Overlords

    Thumbs up ... well its about as close as i could get to an Erect ^HHHHH

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      congratulations

      You've just provided the counter to this device.

  7. jason 7
    FAIL

    Bet you cant use that in the UK

    Chances are the law would charge you with GBH for slashing up the rapists todger.

    Then the law suits............

  8. Uncle Slacky Silver badge
    Headmaster

    Vagina dentata

    I have no joke here - I just wanted the opportunity to say "vagina dentata"...

    1. Blain Hamon
      Coat

      Don't forget the song!

      http://www.queenofwands.net/d/20040121.html

      Sung to the Lion King's "Hakuna Matata," of course.

  9. Aldous
    Joke

    but remember

    to take it out when your on a container ship with raven!

    1. WizardRobeAndHat
      Thumb Up

      re: but remember...

      awesome, was waiting for the snowcrash reference :)

  10. rtea

    Wrong picture?

    There is no way that woman in the picture is 20.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  11. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Errr no, this is not an anti-rape device...

    "A South African doctor unveiled an anti-rape device.."

    Only problem is that it does not do this at all.

    It merely incapacitates the codgers todger AFTER rape. This is pure and simple a revenge device.

    Has nobody realised that this device does not protect against rape yet?

    I can see a few court appearances as a consequence to this ill thought out idea. Whilst the chap may be in jail, they may seek retribution for the wilful assault by the woman (and maybe manufacturers). Just look back in history in most countries, burglar breaks in steal something, owner spots them and pops a cap in their arse... guess who spends the most time in jail. (PS mostly not the burglar).

    One issue as well... girl goes out for evening, uses this crazy device due to her predicted long and lonely walk home after dark.

    Said girl meets guy, and before they know what's going on, 20 Martinis consumed and down the alley behind the club, one of those not-so-rare events happens - drunk consensual sex. Next thing that happens is we find a chap howling as he discovers some alien is having a munch. Another assault case begins the next day - especially after his mates hear about it.

    PS. I can see this being one of the latest BSDM must-haves.

    1. Dale Richards
      Go

      TV Licensing

      This product protects against rape the same way TV detector vans protect against license dodgers. If you can put enough FUD into the minds of rapists (or license dodgers) then even if the toothy condoms (or detector vans) don't actually exist then they can still have an effect.

      1. Asgard
        Boffin

        This device has a lot of problems but there are solutions...

        @"If you can put enough FUD into the minds of rapists"

        That won't work. The people who think about being a rapist would be the first people to learn to look to see if there is effectively a todger mini bear trap in there and so they will remove it before going in. After all they don't have empathy for their victim, so they don't care about the repercussions for her from removing it.

        Plus lets not forget there are some women (a small but vocal minority) in the world who don't have empathy for their victims and they would be the kind of person who would use this sort of device vindictively against their soon to be ex-boyfriends.

        This technology won't work. A far better solution is simply educating the whole population about human psychology (it would solve many social problems including providing everyone with some much needed protection through forewarning of being around potentially dangerous people). For example in regards to relationships, the key as always with spotting evil people is their lack of empathy where they will say and do whatever it takes to get their own way. (Who it has to be said are just a very vocal in your face minority of the population, where most people are not like them but this vocal minority often hold themselves up as false arrogant role models). But these kind of people do have warning signs about their overall behaviour which helps to avoid them.

        One trick is to watch how they treat and speak about others, not how they speak to you, because (if they are intent on manipulation) you will be the focus of their manipulation games. A pervasive pattern of derogatory remakes about others is a good warning sign to pick-up on, because they often seek to belittle others and in time they are highly likely to treat you the same way (and in some cases, they are already doing that from day one, because its all part of their manipulation games). Another simple trick is to judge people not on their words to you, but on their actions. People can use endless excuses to cover up their unfairness, but their actions are simply fair or unfair and so very hard to justify away. So if you stop listening so much to the words and instead judge the actions its easier to see the truth of a situation. (Another warning sign is spotting that they are determined to be in control so they can control and manipulate other people around you using lies for their own gain. To them its always their ends justifies their means and they always make the mistake of thinking everyone is as ruthlessly manipulative as them).

        These simple tricks are ultimately to find people who have true empathy toward you. Everyone can make mistakes from time to time but the evil people have a pervasive pattern of unfairness and the sooner you spot their arrogant contempt for people around them, the sooner you can get away from them. Confidence isn't in your face arrogance, but the arrogant people want you to believe it is, yet ironically these most arrogant people are that way because they are over compensating by covering up some very twisted self destructive ultimately fear driven thinking. They are a real angry mess under the surface but its all part of their act to cover that up, (and another warning sign is that they often cover up with drink and drug abuse) rather than truly wanting to seek professional help. Their lack of true empathy for other people is their Achilles heel, where they are instead so focused inwards onto their own needs that they fail to think about others. In the more extreme cases they refuse to see the harm they cause others, because to them its all about them. Its why they are labelled Narcissistic because of their arrogant self interest (and in more extreme cases even as far as Psychopathic). Its why we have to learn to avoid them and in doing so, they become more sidelined in society. Which is very important for us all, because these same arrogant control freaks are the same people who are determined to abuse everyone for their own gain by abusing ever better technology to extend their ability to abuse us all for their own gain.

        Its why society has to wake up to how these people behave, so we can all learn to better protect ourselves (by avoiding them) and so also learn to better protect our society from these harmful people.

        1. LaeMing
          Thumb Up

          And most of all...

          ...stop voting these people in!

          Seriously!

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        And if

        And if there are detector vans, you could just watch out in the back room anyway.

  12. Wize

    Well...

    This is a bit old. Wired covered them in 2007:

    http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2007/04/rapestoppers_ra/

    Whats to stop rapists removing them or drunk girls forgetting they have one in place?

    Do they come in schoolboy size to protect them from priests?

    How about chastity belts to stop the rapists at an earlier stage in their attack?

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Curious...

    I'm quite interested in how this is supposed to work... To grip something which ummm changes in girth, it obviously has some kind of elastic property... So what's to stop it being removed simply by stretching it open again, or by placing a bag of ice over the offending groin area, or a bit of careful work with a pair of cutters?

    Sure you might nick the skin a few times removing it like that, but surely that's better than being nicked by the fuzz.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending rape, just trying to "hack" any flaws in the hardware.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Ah...?

    20-year old?

  15. Eskicode
    WTF?

    No use at all

    First of all, she does not look 20.

    Second, how long is it going to be before the device is used by psychotic women that hate men, aside from this, as someone said earlier, this is no proof of rape at all, and will result in GBH suit if they cant prove rape, which will be hard to do...

    Also, why wouldn't a rapist just shove something up there first, pull it out and carry on.

    1. C Yates
      Thumb Up

      But look on the bright side...

      She'd never need a bottle opener again ^_^

  16. Falanx
    FAIL

    Dumber than a box of Ehlers

    As was said before, and before, and before...

    About the easiest way to turn a rape into a murder.

    Can we have some new news, please?

  17. Michael 28
    Happy

    Prior art...

    ..............don't bother with the patent app.

    There was a young lady from Crewe

    Who filled her vagina with glue!

    She said with a grin,

    If they pay to get in,

    They'll pay to get out of there too!

    1. Chris Seiter
      Joke

      Sounds like a Chinese Todger Trap

      "As he pulls it gets tighter" Why doesn't the he just stick something in the other end of the trap, push, and then he can get out?

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Indeed

    "enslavement that no woman should be subjected to."

    Yes, I couldn't agree more, but as I remind people, 'Yes, you have the hard won right to do and go where you wish, but due to the filth that walks the streets, you don't always have the privilege I'm afraid.'

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Headmaster

    Learn to read...

    All the posters questioning "20-year-old" - learn to read and once you've managed to do that, try UNDERSTANDING what you've just read, you twonks!

    It clearly says: "As a 20-year-old medical researcher, Dr Sonnet Ehlers met a rape victim". Note the use of the past tense in "met". This means (for the hard of thinking) that she met someone in the past - which could have been YEARS ago. It DOESN'T say she is 20 NOW.

    Meh, some people....

  20. Arclight

    How long

    How long before this is used for revenge or profit?

    Wife finds out husband is cheating, slips on of these in and waits for hubby to come home........

    Woman uses one of these, goes out on the pull, and then cries rape/blackmails man.

    1. Lionel Baden

      who needs this

      They can do that anyway

      This would make no difference in a case

  21. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Another rather obvious flaw...

    ...is that the woman herself must be able to remove this, and presumably fairly easily. Therefore: what's to stop any potential rapist from just checking if she has it and removing it themselves?

    The best way to stop rapists is simply shoot them after the first offence. With any luck the rest will get the idea pretty quickly that it's a bad idea. I'm sure you could find a prostitute to pretend to be non-consenting if that sort of thing turns you on...

  22. oddie

    what are these for?

    like so many have stated before.. these are certainly not a magical bullet to ward off rape, too many ways to easily overcome.

    However, despite the 'news' of these devices that seem to surface everytime SA get in the world spotlight, they do at least tend to highlight a problem in a country where even the sitting president has been accused of rape. It is a big problem in SA, and if nothing else now at least it's (once again) been brought out into the open. I suspect they are used as much to highlight and cause discussion around problem as protect against it.

    i'd be interested to know though what kind of designs are in place for evil minds not to buy one of these, turn it inside out, and suddenly have a penis with 'teeth'? and unlike an easily enough shrunk penis (I believe it does it all by itself if left alone for long enough), I can imagine it being dificult to remove from inside a vagina.

    why can't the world be a nicer place, eh?

  23. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    just wandering..

    .. but what is the chances that rapist will.... errrr... try to "check for it and remove it" before raping? (you have to assume that if a women can take it off... then so can the rapist)

  24. David Simpson 1
    FAIL

    Silly to get into and arms race.

    This is stupid, the rapist is being given a reason to beat/maim/kill their victim and their are other places they could rape.

    Interesting to see if after a couple of years of these being available whether or not anal rapes increase.

    Nice idea but is every woman supposed to insert these every day of their lives ? talk about scare mongering.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Don't seem practical

    Like the idea but what about toilet visits - do they have to keep removing/replacing it? Seems costly? What if they forget it's there? What if they trap themselves in it? What if they meet a bloke they want to get with - could be an embarrassing situation?

  26. Antti Roppola

    Snowcrash

    YT had one in Neal Stephenson's Snowcrash back in 1992.

    I still like the idea of tattooing "Poor Impulse Control" on people's foreheads.

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    All those that are claiming future law suites are really forgetting one thing

    This is South Africa, a place where attaching flame throwers to your car or runnin 20,000volts through every metal panel counts as an anti theft device. Or where it is perfectly normal to see a woman get mugged, stop your car, chase down the thief and shoot them, repeatedly, then get back in your car and drive off to work.

    As for revenge....Well it's pretty damn obvious that you'd notice something shoved up your parters snatch if you were in anyway attempting to satisfy her properly.

    1. Andy 6
      Thumb Up

      agreed

      yer, my tongue is realy sensitive

      :|

  28. bluest.one

    Problems

    How difficult/easy are these devices to detect before a rape?

    If these become commonplace and widely known about, rapists may default to using the anus.

    What's to stop a woman with a grudge, luring her victim into having sex with her while she wears one of these and then crying rape, using the device as 'proof' that she did not and would not have engaged in consensual sex?

  29. Kyr'
    Coffee/keyboard

    There are so many flaws with this idea

    First one: you meet that lovely girl in a bar, every goes smooth, the hotel room is booked ... and after the first "move", she tells you "Honey, that 's 10 grands, otherwise, I'll go to the police station and tell you tried to rape me"

    Second one: "Sorry hon', forgot to remove it." Nice way to ruin a romantic evening.

    Third one: "How do you remove it from the man?" "Oh, like that, OK ..." There is already a black market for bullet removal, I guess there will be another one for "dick jail" removal.

    Fourth one: "If you wear one of these, I put a bullet in your brain"

    Fifth one: The only way to name it is: "alternate way ..."

    Sixth one: What if the attacker wears himself a condom?

    I bet there are many other flaws in this design. Another idea that seems great on paper, but that doesn't stand the test.

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/Design/graphics/icons/comment/coffee_keyboard_32.png

  30. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Commenters FAIL

    For those that fail to understand the English language, since you in the UK came up with it.....

    "AS a 20-year-old researcher...."

    That means that WHEN she was a researcher, AT the age of 20,......

    They're not saying she's 20 in the pic.

    ----------

    Anyway, I do think an earlier prevention method is needed, and also wonder about removal once the erection has subsided. Also, what's to stop from intrusion into one's backside?

    Just my thoughts.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Double fail

      I award you one point for "Commenters FAIL" message but have to deduct it again due to you failing to notice the comment at 12:17 which already noted this point.

      :)

  31. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Unfortunately....

    a woman actually being raped is usually rather helpless in the face of her attacker. I'm worried that if some otherwise deserving rapist scumbag gets his johnson torn up by this condom, we're going to have the police investigating aggravated assault or murder instead of a rape. I'm all for women giving rapists a good shot in the jewels if they need to get away, but when you are flat on your back you might want to think about self-preservation.

    Then there is the chance that you might have a few female sickos seduce and maul otherwise rather innocent (but horny) guys with this thing. I hope the creators are fine with tossing those gals into women's prison.

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Could be worse...

    She could be packing the real thing:

    http://www.teethmovie.com/trailer.html

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    20 ?

    Does she look 20...shez definitely frustrated and claims to be twenty.... UGH

    Paris, 'coz she will always be 20

    1. Lionel Baden
      FAIL

      WTF !!!

      Not only have you failed to read the story yoiu have also Completley failed to read the comments that actually discuss this

      No wonder you post as AC your a fucking retard

  34. Anonymous John
    Unhappy

    Survey

    [quote] A 2009 report by the country's Medical Research Council found "that 28 per cent of men surveyed had raped a woman or girl, with one in 20 saying they had raped in the past year".[/quote]

    If that's a random selection of men, South Africa really does have a serious rape problem. What sort of man openly admits to being a rapist (even if he is one)?

  35. Stevie

    Bah!

    Razor blades? Inserted? Really?

    Colour me disbelieving of that part of the narrative.

  36. MonkeyBot

    Aren't we all missing the point here?

    The practicality of the device is irrelevant.

    They're trying to create a rational deterrent for people who aren't thinking rationally. If the only thing stopping you raping people is the fear of a potential dick mangling, you're still a danger to the community.

  37. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @bothwell - apologies.

    I thought it was fairly obvious my two suggestions weren't to be taken seriously.

    However, I apologise if the point wasn't got across.

    "Very poor. How about encouraging men (including, apparently, men like yourself) to comprehend that women are humans, not animals or material possessions, and they shouldn't be treated or thought of as the latter in any form of civilised society.

    I'd hazard a guess that actually it's your shitty attitude that puts women off you far more than your height or looks do. You might want to ruminate on that instead of blaming women for your own failures"

    Why would I need to comprehend that women aren't humans? I've never raped anyone, and personally find being chatted up by drunken women offensive.

    However, as a starting point, your plan of encouraging men to think of women as non-posessions is doomed to failure. Almost any evolutionary psychologist worth their salt will tell you that most men think of their wives as theirs, because of the evolutionary advantage of having her remain private property. The few percent of guys who are happy with their wife being used by another man, aren't doing it because they think their wife isn't theirs. They're doing it, I'll hazard a guess, because they get turned on by their posession doing it dirty.

  38. Daniel B.
    Thumb Down

    Old news?

    These devices have been in the news for years. And as most commenters have only noted, it is useless as the rape would already be in progress when this thingy goes off; rapists will just proceed to check the girl first, or just cut the cheese and go for anal rape. Not so smart.

    The only "plus" on these things is that they only "jail" the penis; some other African "anti-rape" incarnations are far more brutal, involving razors or what I'd call "Bobbit devices"... that is, devices that slice & dice your todger. OUCH.

    Anyway, the bet is that the guy will be so concerned with his pain that the victim will be able to run. Somehow, if the guy's already inside her, I doubt she will be able to do that. Murder seems to be a more probable outcome.

  39. kain preacher

    Problem

    The only problem with this is I can see they guy killing the women. I'm all for chemical castration , by that I mean dipping the genital in sodium hydroxide.

  40. Leeroy
    Pint

    Just jump right in ?

    I must be the only bloke in the world that has the sense to "warm them up a bit" before going balls deep. I mean going in dry and splitting your banjo would be bad enough without some spikes to totally ruin your day / week/ year / life.

    Beer drink enough and it might just save your manhood ;P

  41. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Sounds like they do not have strong laws against rapists then...

    Given that the men openly admit that they rape women in surveys. One would wonder why would they answer to a taboo question like that anyway. In a developed country, admitting that you're a rapist is akin to having a death wish.

    Beer. Maybe the men surveyed were drunk and didn't know what they're talking about.

  42. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

    Abtinance is the key

    Seeing as how I was apparently mean enough to get rejected previously, I'll express my opinion more quietly this time.

    Anything that can be used defensively _will_ eventually be used offensively. It makes me worry.

  43. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    One must remember the origins of rape

    In days of old (middle ages), the crime of rape was a PROPERTY crime against the "owner" of the female (father/husband). In this context, it is up to the person whose "property" was damaged to pursue the perpetrator. Now it seems that the state has the job now. While I'm not for going back to the middle ages (unlike the Taliban desires), having the proper person go after the rapist might not be a bad idea.

    Now days it comes down to an issue of "consent", and all I can hope for is some sanity. Having an indicator of non "consent" might not be a bad idea, even if has been proposed before. Of course, there are some good alternatives (8th amendment [US] notwithstanding) that might be used

  44. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Back in the news, eh?

    When this was first announced as soon to go on sale in South Africa, the rates of anal rape in SA increased dramatically because you can't put one of these up your bum.

  45. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Uhuh

    Of course, since no woman ever made a false allegation, and since all women pass the Harriet Harperson angel test, none of them will ever willingly engage in sexual intercourse whilst wearing one of these devices, none of them would ever fail to tell the vict^HA^HA^HApist. Right? Right. That's what I thought.

  46. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Erm...

    That looks like a Doc Johnson vac-u-lock 7"er, that's a seriously expensive dong, which usually comes with a strap-on.

    Anon, for obvious reasons...

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