A few months ago, I wrote about date rape prevention HERE, but today, I saw THIS on CNN and was amazed- a South African doctor has invented an anti-rape condom. The latex device can be inserted like a tampon, but turns into a frightening device that clamps around a guy’s penis with TEETH and hooks that have to be surgically removed from the man after penetration.

The name of the condom alone should be enough to make anyone scared- it’s usually referred to as the Vaginal Bear Trap (ouch)  and is also effective in preventing STDs and pregnancy. It was first developed in 2005 and is now being introduced in South Africa to promote date rape prevention there in time for the World Cup.

The anti-rape condom’s effectiveness lies in the fact that the guy can’t get free as he has to go to the hospital to get the hooks taken out of his penis, which ensures that the authorities will then be notified.  The problem with the device as reported by CNN is that it does not actually stop actual penetration from happening- if a woman is raped with the device on, the rape condom will likely lessen the length of penetration, but won’t change the fact that the woman was raped to begin with. Another problem with the device is that is in ineffective in cases of gang rape- it will just work on the first rapist.

As another site pointed out HERE, others are concerned that some women will use the device as a way to exact revenge on a consensual partner or that the device is too “barbaric” to begin with because of the sheer pain involved for the male. Another cause for concern is that the rapist could be so aggravated by the pain that he could inflict more harm on the woman or even kill her.

I’m not sure yet how to react to the criticisms of the device. From what I can see by watching the video on CNN, the device is extremely effective and  could be an extremely effective deterrent for an attacker. However,  I do worry that someone could use it in an act of consensual sex, which would be hard to prove and would be incredibly painful for the guy she had sex with. I’m interested to see how often it is used and how people feel about it after it has been on the market for a while.