Although the rate of sexual assault in the United States has fallen somewhat in recent years, the statistics are staggering. In 2007, there were more than 248,300 sexual assaults in the United States. That’s one assault every two minutes for an entire year. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network predicts that one out of every six women in the United States will be the victim of an attempted or completed rape. Women who are victims of rape not only experience trauma, but are more likely to suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs, and are more likely to consider suicide as a way out of their suffering.
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of women’s crime studies is that many women are too scared to report their rape or assault or report the crime to law enforcement authorities. Although reporting rates have increased over the last two decades, approximately sixty percent of sexual assault crimes are unreported, making sexual assault one of the must under-reported crimes in the United States. Furthermore, when unreported cases are factored into the numbers of sexual criminals that are able to avoid prosecution and conviction, only about six percent of rapists and sexual criminals serve jail time.
With these astounding statistics, it’s important for all women to know how to prevent and protect themselves from rape and sexual assault. Here are some tips to prevent yourself from becoming victim of a sexual assault:
- When traveling alone, be aware of your surroundings. If you feel uncomfortable or like you are being followed change your route.
- Avoid wearing conspicuous clothing or jewelry.
- Never hitchhike or accept rides from anyone you don’t know or feel is not trustworthy.
- Be aware of your surroundings when waiting for and using public transportation. Wait for the bus or train in well-lit areas and seat yourself in the front of the bus or train car.
- Carry a pepper spray or a stun gun from Safety Girl to protect yourself in case of an attack.
- Take a couple self-defense classes to learn how to defend yourself physically from an attacker.
If you are attacked, try to remember to do the following:
- Let the attacker know you are aware of the situation, telling the attacker to “go away” in a loud and firm voice.
- Find any weapons. Quickly pull out your Safety Girl pepper spray or stun gun and engage your weapon. If you don’t have pepper spray or a stun gun, use anything you can to defend yourself, including your keys, purse, hands, and feet.
- Yell for someone to help and call 911.
- The moment you can free yourself from the attacker, run away as fast as you can.
- Report the incident to the police.
Sources:
“7 Self-Defense Tips for Women: How to Defend Yourself If You Are Attacked, Savvy Miss. http://www.savvymiss.com/living-entertaining-do-it-yourself/do-it-yourself-projects/do-it-yourself-projects-archive/article/how-to-outsmart-a-potential-attacker-172.html.
“Statistics,” Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.” http://www.rainn.org/statistics.
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