‘If Only I Had Teeth Down There’

Rape-aXe, an anti-rape device made by a South African woman looks like a tube with barbs inside. Scary, right?

A screen grab of Rape-aXe. (Photo: Carlos Araujo/ YouTube)

Rape-aXe, an anti-rape device invented in South Africa, is gaining popularity.

It is a tube-like structure with barbs embedded inside, and worn as a tampon. When there is forceful vaginal intercourse, the device locks the penis causing the perpetrator excruciating pain. Rape-aXe can only be surgically removed, increasing the chances that the police will be alerted.

How it works. (Photo: Youtube/thuligal)

Who Invented It and Why?

Sonnet Ehlers, a blood technician based in South Africa developed it first in 2005. She thought of making the device when one of her patients said, “if only I had teeth down there.”

That set into motion the creation of the device earlier named Rapex. The name was changed to rape-aXe after it was found that RAPEX is an EU regulatory body.

Sonnet Ehlers with her female condom with ‘teeth’. (Photo: Youtube/Carlos Araujo)

According to CNN, Ehlers said:

The ideal situation would be for a woman to wear this when she’s going out on some kind of blind date … or to an area she’s not comfortable with.

Limitations

The device though, is of limited usefulness. For one, it doesn’t obviously work in case of rape when vaginal penetration is not involved. Two, it requires women to wear it all the time. Three, it doesn’t address the various contextual, societal and cultural factors that involve cases of rape.

While the device was clearly invented with the best of interests, it is a telling insight into our times that the onus is on women to protect themselves.