Rape Prevention Tips

A group of rapists 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 certain types of clothing. They look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors to cut victims' clothing.

3. They also look for women who are on their cell phone or searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking, because they are off guard and can easily be 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 am.

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

6. The thing to remember 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 two 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 unbrellas in their hands, or similar objects 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 that you are 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, like 'I can't believe it is so cold out here. We're in for a bad winter.' Now that you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up, 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 said they would 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, you can also use it as a deterrent, yelling "I have pepper spray!" and holding it out. (This instructor was a huge advocate of pepper spray and carries it with him wherever he goes.)