By LaDonna Laguerre

The Rapex condom, a controversial new device invented by former South African blood technician Sohnette Ehlers, is expected to provide an amplified sense of empowerment and safety to women.

A female condom that looks like a tampon and acts like a diaphragm, the condom is lined with latex spikes that dig into the penis.

It can be slipped on in a bathroom anytime a woman feels in danger of being raped, Ehlers told Reuters.

It is no longer than the palm of a tiny hand, and, Ehlers told Reuters, is more comfortable than a tampon.

When an unsuspecting male rapist slips himself inside of the female target, the device clamps onto the shaft of his erect penis, and the latex spikes dig in.

Briefly debilitating the rapist, Ehlers believes this gives an opportunity for the victim to escape. But justice does not end there.

Once the condom is stuck to his genitalia, the rapist has to have the condom surgically removed. It does not do long-term damage to the penis, Ehlers told Reuters.

Ehlers told Reuters medical personnel would then alert authorities, prompting arrest and conviction for the alleged rapist.

The device has been scrutinized by many anti-rape activists since it was unveiled last August in Ehlers’ home country of South Africa, where the country’s police say 50,000 rapes are reported every year.

Many question whether the product can truly deliver jail time for rapists and keep future attackers at bay.

As more attention is given to the product leading up to its arrival on the worldwide market this summer, its mere existence is giving voice to the larger question of how to prevent rape on college campuses and in cities, as well as the African countryside.

A 2003 study by the National Instiute of Justice said nearly two of every five American females have been raped or sexually assaulted.

“There is rape on campus but most of them probably go unreported,” said Pamela Harris, health promotion and planning coordinator at University Health and Counseling Services.

If college students are at an alarmingly high risk, perhaps Rapex provides an easy way for self-protection.

But, fighting back is not the way to prevent rape, Harris said.

“I personally do not believe that the Rapex condom would be of any help,” she said. “We have to deal with the societal problems to begin with: why rape even occurs or why rapists believe that they can rape.”

Harris’ sentiments are similar to those who oppose the condom in South Africa.

Chantel Cooper, director of Cape Town Rape Crisis Center, wrote to the Cape Town News in September that the condom would give women the sense that rape is “inevitable” in their lifetime, leading to a culture of fear.

Senior criminal justice major Yacine Nouri said it was “not a useful invention.” She said female empowerment was not the answer to ending rape.

“Rape is only prevented by the rapist,” she said.

Others thought the device was a good idea in theory, but raised some tricky logistical difficulties when put into use.

“I think for the most part this would be a very good idea – it will give her a sense of security,” said John Vance, a sophomore philosophy and physics major. “However, when would a female consider herself particularly at risk? In my opinion, she could be at risk anytime.”

Some thought the device was taking the idea of prevention too far.

Lauren Bard, a 2005 graduate, called the device a “chastity belt.”

“It will not prevent rape nor will it increase prosecution or conviction for rapists,” she said. “Take the bullets out of the gun – don’t just hand bulletproof vests to everyone.”

For sophomore psychology major Thade Wolfe, the idea of rapists coming to their senses was far-fetched. “Oh yeah, let’s get all the rapists together and sit them down,” he said. Let’s have them talk about their feelings and why they rape. We can just explain to the rapists why they shouldn’t do it and they, of course, will listen.”

Even with his wavering confidence in the standard approach to rape prevention, Wolfe said he also lacked confidence in the condom.

“Personally, I don’t like the whole spiky condom thing,” he said. “Once rapists realize people have these things, they will start yanking them out.”

And, finally, there is the middle ground. Hurting rapists, sophomore psychology major Jennifer Toth said, is just as important as preventing rape.

“I don’t think that it prevents rape, but it’s a fairly good idea in that at least the guy is getting what’s coming to him,” she said.