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 whose
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 at 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 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
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.
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 or 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.
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 no 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), yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and 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 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.
14) 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.
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 you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss
it, and 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.
AFTER YOU READ THIS, FORWARD THIS TO EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW. IT'S SIMPLE STUFF
BUT IT COULD SAVE HER LIFE.
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