>In this time and age, it pays to be careful. Please take time to read
>thru'.
>
>**************************
>
>A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what
>they looked for in a potential victim and here are some interesting
>facts:
>
>
>(A) WHO
>
>(1) The first thing the 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 be easily 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 the men look for is clothing. They will look for
>women who's clothing is easy to remove. 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.
>
>
>(B) WHERE
>
>(1) The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is in
>the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.
>
>(2) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is the
>grocery store.
>
>(3) Number two is office parking lots/garages.
>
>(4) Number three is public restrooms/toilets.
>
>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 deter rent 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.
>
>
>
>(C) HOW
>
>Several defense mechanisms he taught us are:
>
>(1) If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or
>with you in an elevator or staircase, look them in the face and ask them
>questions like " what time is it? My friends are supposed to be here 10
>minutes ago." etc.
>
>This is to show that your friends are on the way, so it's not worthwhile
>for him to take the risk.
>
>Secondly, it shows that you're a CONFIDENT person and you're not the
>type that look timid and can be easily taken over.
>
>Thirdly, now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up
>if they are caught. So, with this you lose appeal as a target to these
>rapists.
>
>
>(2) 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.
>
>(3) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it
>and he also carries pepper spray with him wherever he goes,) yell to the
>rapist: "I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY!!" and holding it out will be a deterrent.
>
>(4) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can
>outsmart 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.
>
>This instructor was told by a woman in his class of defence, that she
>used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to da te-rape her and
>he was so upset as 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.
>
>(5) 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.
>
>(6) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers
>and bend them back with as much pressure as possible.
>
>The instructor did this to me without using much pressure, and I ended
>up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
>
>
>
>IN ALL CASES, DO NOT PANIC!!
>
>By the way, it is also worth it to leave scratch marks on the rapist on
>any part of his body for easy identifcation if he is caught. Of course
>the things we always hear still apply: Always be aware of your
>surroundings, take someone with you, eg to the toilet, to the car park,
>if possible 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 a trouble.
>
>
>PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANY WOMAN YOU KNOW
