A medieval device built on hatred of men? Or a cheap, easy-to-use invention that could free millions of South African women from fear of rape in a country with the worst sexual-assault record on Earth?Dubbed the “rape trap,” trademarked “Rapex,” the condomlike device bristling with internal hooks designed to snare rapists has reignited controversy over the nation’s alarming rape rate, even before it was launched officially in South Africa’s Western Cape yesterday.Some say the inventor, Sonette Ehlers, 57, deserves a medal, others, that she needs help.The device, which is worn like a tampon, hooks onto a rapist during penetration and must be surgically removed from the assailant.Ehlers, a former medical technician, said the rape trap would be so painful for a rapist that it would disable him immediately, enabling his victim to escape; but she insisted it would cause no long-term physical damage to the assailant and could not accidentally injure the woman.
