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 who's clothing
is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors
around specifically 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) Men are most likely to
attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00a.m. and
8:30a.m.
5) The number one place women
are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots.
Number two: office parking lots/garages. Number three:
public restrooms.
6) The thing about these men
is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move
her to another 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," "we're in for a bad
winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify
them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target. Of course,
in some cases this might make them more determined to get
you.
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 not 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), yell 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 VERY VERY 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, 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.
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 and 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.
a. 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 zigzag 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 o outside their doors when they're home alone
at night. Please pass this on and DO NOTopen the door for
a crying baby. This should 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.
