21 June,2010 07:49 AM IST | | Agencies
South African doctor distributes anti-rape female condoms during World Cupu00a0
A South African doctor has developed a new female condom that she hopes will combat rape in the most painful way possible.
Dr Sonnet Ehlers has invented Rape-axe, a female device with jagged hooks that latch onto a man's penis during penetration.
The doctor is distributing 30,000 of these condoms in South Africa during this year's World Cup.
"It hurts," Ehlers said. "He cannot pee and walk when it's on. If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter."
Rape-axe is inserted like a tampon and when embedded to a man the device can only be removed by a doctor.
False security?
Some have accused Ehler of creating nothing more than a new-age chastity belt.
"It not only presents the victim with a false sense of security, but psychological trauma," said Victoria Kajja, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Uganda.
But Ehlers said that she had taken the proper research and development steps before launching the product. "I consulted engineers, gynecologists and psychologists to help in the design and make sure it was safe," she said.
Ehlers also pointed out how women take extreme measures such as placing razor blades in their nether regions to prevent rape in South Africa.
"I believe something's got to be done," she said. "This will make some men rethink before they assault a woman."
