South African Rape-aXe Defends Against Widespread Assault

The World Cup has been a boon for some women in South Africa. Some women are hopeful that the games will lift them out of poverty thanks to the opportunities that the influx of tourism has brought to the nation. Girls have been given opportunities to train in new media especially to report on the game.

As we've also written, many women have been far less lucky. Women are being blamed for their boyfriends' failures on the field, and domestic violence has increased during the World Cup. So, while we don't want to ban all condoms from the World Cup, the irony is not lost on me that Rape-aXe, an anti-rape female condom with teeth-like barbs, was invented by a South African woman — and that it's been recently back in the news once again.

It isn't just that the violent sports culture brings out the worst in S.A. men. Studies show that in South Africa, on average, a rape is committed every 17 seconds — not even including child rape victims — making it the world's rape capital. One in four South African men admitted to having raped a woman in a 2009 study by the S.A. Medical Research Council. And no doubt related to such atrociously high rates of sexual assault and violence, in 2007, South Africa had the fourth highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world, and it is now believed to be the country with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. A 2007 study found that 28% of pregnant SA women were also living with HIV.

After hearing a rape victim say she wished she "had teeth down there," South African doctor Sonnet Ehlers invented Rape-aXe, which acts as a sort of reverse condom, a latex tube that women can wear in their vaginas and that comes equipped with microscopic barbs. If a man tries to remove it, it will only clench up tighter, and it's impossible to urinate while wearing. This essentially leaves one option: go to a hospital and have it surgically removed. (This also allows the police to catch the perpetrator.) And to be perfectly clear from a public health perspective, the device doesn't draw blood, which could be disastrous in an area with staggeringly high HIV/AIDS rates.

Some experts also feel devices like Rape-aXe could also be used in countries where rape is still a weapon of war, though some have expressed fear that soldiers would retaliate against women whose use of the devices harm their colleagues. While valid concerns, I hope for now, a few South African women can use the surprise factor to their advantage. Dr. Ehlers sold her car and house to fund her project and will be handing out nearly 30,000 Rape-aXe condoms during the World Cup alone. Let's hope they aren't necessary — now or ever. But while all eyes are on South Africa, we need to be sure we see everything happening in the country.

Photo Credit: babasteve