Self Defense For Women - How To Protect Yourself From Rape and Sexual Assault
Once upon a time in a city not too far away lived a young girl. She was bright and shiny in the way that only 19 year-old girls can be.
On this one particular night, she was dressed as a French poodle -- her new style of dress for her brand new position as a cocktail waitress at an upscale theme restaurant in the city where she lived. She had finished her shift for the night and she was in the parking lot with her group of friends who were also just getting off shift when she remembered that she had forgotten her new boots in the dressing room. So with her boyfriend as escort she headed back to the restaurant which meant taking a walk through a meandering garden path.
As the pair began their walk on the planked garden path and stepped out of sight from their friends, the lights went out and the well-lit path fell into shadow...and out of the gloom stepped two large men wearing featureless masks carrying guns...
Unfortunately, this is no fairy tale. This is a true story. My story. And that night I was lucky. The two jerks who put their guns to our heads were unorganized and didn't really know what they were doing -- it was clear that they didn't have a plan. Me? I was angry. A strange reaction, I suppose, but I was. One of the two worms decided that they wanted me to lie down in the garden off the path -- I got even angrier and I argued with them. I told them to get bent in so many words; I wasn't going to go down easy or at all if I could help it. My boyfriend wasn't being much help -- he was acquiescing which under the circumstances for him was probably the right move. But he wasn't the one who was being drooled over either...these two freaks were actually staring at my thighs! Anyway they didn't know what to do when I refused to cooperate and they began to argue with each other. With their attention diverted, I ran. Fast. I was out of there...
While I came out of this incident unscathed, the opposite could have just as easily happened. I said I was lucky and that is an understatement -- I could have been badly injured, raped, or even murdered. My reaction worked for me for a couple of reasons:
* I didn't let fear or panic overtake me.
* I knew the area and my attackers didn't and they really were a couple of
buffoons.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that all bad guys are stupid -- they're not! Most are in control, know what they want, how they're going to get it, and they've got nothing to lose. Unlike you...or me at this point. You and I, we have lives, we have families and pets and plans for what we're going to do this weekend...we have lots to lose.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that you'll never be attacked. A woman is raped every 2 minutes in the US; over the last two years the number of rapes and sexual assaults totaled more than 787,000.
Be prepared. When it is your turn, know what to do and have a weapon in your hand or on your belt -- there are so many to choose from today:
*One of my favorites is a stun gun that looks like a cell phone and today who
doesn't carry a cell phone?
*Or how about a new twist on pepper spray -- Pepper Spray Foam or Pepper
Spray Gel with a UV dye to stain and mark your attackers face
*And if you just really love the feel of a solid weapon in your hand -- consider
the Taser. For those of us with bad aim, you can always get a Taser with a
laser sight.
Stand up for yourself -- refuse to be a victim.
Amy Herndon is an authority on personal safety and home security. Her web site: azhselfdefense.com has even more information and tools for personal defense. |
Read this email I received today - warning it is important and very scary:
Crucial
Because of recent abductions
in daylight hours, refresh yourself
of these things to
do
in an emergency situation...
This is for you,
and for you to share
with your wife,
your children,
everyone you know.
After reading these 9 crucial tips ,
forward them to someone you care
about.
It never hurts to be careful
in this crazy world we live in.
1 . Tip from Tae Kwon Do :
The elbow is the strongest point
on your body.
If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. Learned this from a tourist guide
in New Orleans
If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,
DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM .
Toss it away from
you....
chances are that he is more interested
in your wallet and/or purse than you,
and he will go for the wallet/purse.
RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car,
kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole
and start waving like crazy.
The driver won't see you, but everybody else will.
This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars
after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit
(doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.
DON'T DO THIS!)
The predator will be watching you, and this
is the perfect opportunity for him to get in
on the passenger side, put a gun to your head,
and tell you where to go.
AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR ,
LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
If someone
is in the car
with a gun
to your head
DO NOT DRIVE OFF,
repeat:
DO NOT DRIVE OFF!
Instead gun the engine
and speed into anything, wrecking the car.
Your Air Bag will save you.
If the person is in the back seat
they will get the worst of it .
As soon as the car crashes
bail out and run.
It is better than having them find your body
in a remote location.
5 . A few notes about getting
into your car in a parking lot,
or parking garage:
A.) Be aware:
look
around you,
look into your car,
at the passenger side floor ,
and in the back seat
B.) If you are parked next to a big van,
enter your car from the passenger door .
Most serial killers attack their victims
by pulling them into their vans while the women
are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car
parked on the driver's side of your vehicle,
and the passenger side.. If a male is sitting alone
in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back
into the mall, or work, and get a
guard/policeman to walk you back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator
instead of the stairs.
(Stairwells are horrible places to be alone
and the perfect crime spot.
This is especially true at
NIGHT!)
7. If the predator has a gun
and you are not
under his control,
ALWAYS RUN!
The predator will only hit you (a running target)
4 in 100 times; And even then,
it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.
RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!
8. As women, we are always trying
to be sympathetic:
STOP
It may get you raped, or killed.
Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking,
well educated man, who ALWAYS played
on the sympathies of unsuspecting women.
He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often
asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle,
which is when he abducted
his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point:
Someone just told me that her friend heard
a crying baby on her porch the night before last,
and she called the police because it was late
and she thought it was weird. The police told her
'Whatever you do, DO NOT
open the door.'
The lady then said that it sounded like the baby
had crawled near a window, and she was worried
that it would crawl to the street and get run over.
The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way,
whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'
He told
her that they think a serial killer
has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax
women out of their homes thinking that
someone
dropped off a baby He said they have not verified it,
but have had several calls by women saying that
they hear baby's cries outside their doors
when they're home alone at night.
Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door
for a crying baby ----
This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because
the Crying
Baby theory was mentioned on
America 's Most
Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled
the serial killer in Louisiana
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. < /B>
It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle.
I was going to send this to the ladies only,
but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc.,
you may
want to pass it onto them, as well.
Send this to any woman you know that may need
to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it
and it's better to be safe than sorry..
Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or love one's life.
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