South Africa: penis trap invented for rapists

Verma, Priya

A South African woman has invented a tampon-sized device that women can wear inside their vaginas that attaches itself to a penis and must be surgically removed. South Africa has the highest reported rate of rape in the world, with 1.5 million rapes reported annually in the country.

One of South Africa’s leading anti-rape activists, Charlene Smith, called the penis trap “male-hating” and “vengeful, horrible and disgusting,” saying that the woman who invented it “needs help.” Smith said that women should be focusing more on educating men not to rape. But the inventor of the device, Sonette Ehlers, explained, “I’m not an educator. I will go for those they can’t educate.”

Other anti-rape activists are concerned that widespread use of the penis trap will lead to greater violence against women by men in retaliation for having their penises cut up. In addition, some feminists say that women and girls shouldn’t have to bear the responsibility for putting a penis-cutting device inside themselves in order to survive or adapt to rape.

-info from BBC

Copyright Off Our Backs, Inc. May/Jun 2005

Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

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