I got an e-mail a long time ago that was forwarded to me. It discussed rape and was meant as a source of knowledge for people who want to limit their susceptibility to rape. I don't know how true/valid it is, but it was an interesting read. I am posting it here because I am cleaning out my e-mail account.
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what
they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:
The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They
are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail,bun, braid or other
hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a
woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women
who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors
around to cut clothing.
They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their
purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard
and can be easily overpowered.
The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is in
the early morning,between 5 & 8:30 a.m.
The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is grocery
store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number
three is public restrooms.
The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and
quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to worry
about getting caught.
Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year
sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.
If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because
it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you
isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming. These men said they
would not
pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be
used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are not a deterrent because
you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon.
So the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
Several defense mechanisms he taught us are:
If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with
you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a
question, like what time is it, or make general small talk, I can't
believe it is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter. Now you've
seen their face and could identify them in a lineup, you lose appeal as
a target.
If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and
yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to saidn
they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be
afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and
carries it with him wherever he goes), yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and
holding it out will be a deterrent.
If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by
outsmarting them.If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch
the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the
upper inner thigh HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him
she used the
underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset
she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands -- the guy needed
stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand
it; it hurts.
After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a
particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is
extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make
him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of
trouble.Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.
When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and
bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on
them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much
pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your
surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd
behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel a
little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really
was trouble.