SELF-DEFENSE INFORMATION FOR WOMEN!

August 5, 2005

By Nancy Levant

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is in the early morning, between 5 and 8:30 a.m.

5. The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms.

6. 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.

7. Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence, but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

8. If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they usually 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.

9. These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas or other similar

objects, in their hands, that can be used from a distance. 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 the trouble.

10. 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 line-up, and you lose appeal as a target.

11. 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 said 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.

12. If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes), yell, "I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY!" Holding it out will be a deterrent.

13. 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 arm pit or in the upper inner thigh -- HARD. (IF you can get ahold of him.) 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 she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands so that the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand; it REALLY Hurts.

14. After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's private 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.

15. 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.

16. Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if at all possible. 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.

* * I saw a safety expert on Oprah's show, and he stresses that if someone gets in the car with you (EVEN WITH A GUN OR KNIFE) and tells you to drive somewhere, run into a wall, another car, a lamppost, something! He will more than likely jump out and run as fast as possible. If he ever gets you in a secluded area, you are DEAD! So a damaged car is better than being dead.

PLEASE READ THEN FORWARD TO EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW----MOTHERS, GRANDMOTHERS, FRIENDS, DAUGHTERS, GRANDDAUGHTERS, RELATIVES, CO-WORKERS. IT'S SIMPLE STUFF BUT IT COULD SAVE THEIR LIVES.

SEND IT TO YOUR MEN FRIENDS TOO, SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO THEIR

FEMALE FRIENDS AND RELATIVES!

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You can only trust those who have a living, vital relationship with JESUS in this hour... and we don't look to them but we only look to JESUS... But we are HIS hands and HIS feet on this earth and the HOLY SPIRIT moves through those who are submitted to HIM and walk IN LOVE!