We had a successful first Realtor special edition of the Fight Like a Girl class last month. Thank you all who attended!
We will be offering a seminar on January 9, 2010. It is yet to be determined which class we will be offering. We will be happy to accommodate any requests.
Please call or email for questions and to register.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
MORE STATISTICS
Some numbers presented by One in Four website: Sexual Assault Statistics
-57% of rapes happen on dates.
-75% of the men and 55% of the women involved in acquaintance rapes were drinking or taking drugs just before the attack.
-About 70% of sexual assault survivors reported that they took some form of self-protective action during the crime. The most common technique was to resist by struggling or chase and try to hold the attacker. Of those survivors who took protective action, over half believed it helped the situation, about 1/5 believed that it made the situation worse or simultaneously worse and better.
-84% of rape survivors tried unsuccessfully to reason with the man who raped her.
-55% of gang rapes on college campuses are committed by fraternities, 40% by sports teams, and 5% by others.
-Approximately 40% of sexual assaults take place in the survivor's home. About 20% occur in the home of a friend, neighbor, or relative. 10% occur outside, away from home. About 8% take place in parking garages.
-More than half of all rape and sexual assault incidents occurred within one mile of the survivor's home or in her home.
-57% of rapes happen on dates.
-75% of the men and 55% of the women involved in acquaintance rapes were drinking or taking drugs just before the attack.
-About 70% of sexual assault survivors reported that they took some form of self-protective action during the crime. The most common technique was to resist by struggling or chase and try to hold the attacker. Of those survivors who took protective action, over half believed it helped the situation, about 1/5 believed that it made the situation worse or simultaneously worse and better.
-84% of rape survivors tried unsuccessfully to reason with the man who raped her.
-55% of gang rapes on college campuses are committed by fraternities, 40% by sports teams, and 5% by others.
-Approximately 40% of sexual assaults take place in the survivor's home. About 20% occur in the home of a friend, neighbor, or relative. 10% occur outside, away from home. About 8% take place in parking garages.
-More than half of all rape and sexual assault incidents occurred within one mile of the survivor's home or in her home.
Monday, October 25, 2010
SEMINAR OFFERING
Hello one and all. We will be offering both a Girls on Guard and a realtor specific Fight Like A Girl seminar on Sunday, November 14, 2010. Please note, you don't have to be a realtor to attend; anyone can take the Realtor Specific FLAG class, you will just get more information on safety in vacant houses, open houses, etc above and beyond the traditional FLAG seminar. (it is the same price as the regular FLAG seminar) Give me a call or email to register.
NEW FIGHT LIKE A GIRL T-SHIRTS
You asked and we answered: Check out the new Fight Like a Girl logo we have! Designed by Beth Carrillo and Tim Arbon, with final design art work by Tim (the co-instructor and 'bad guy' for our classes). We will be offering shirts with the logo on the back. WOOT! Call or email to pre-order.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
SEMINAR GRADUATES
Well done to the ladies attending the October 24th seminar. You kicked ass! I look forward to seeing you in the Girls on Guard seminar next month. Best quote of the class "then I hit him with the beer bottle.".
Thursday, October 14, 2010
SEMINAR OFFERING
Due to an unexpected trip, the last Fight Like a Girl seminar was canceled. My apologies to those who had registered. That's the bad news. The good news is that I am back in town and we are offering a Fight Like a Girl seminar on Sunday October 24th. Woot!
Come down, learn something about women's self-defense, get empowered and kick my co-instructor's butt when he puts on the suit ;) We would love to see you there. Please call or email for more information and to register for the class.
Come down, learn something about women's self-defense, get empowered and kick my co-instructor's butt when he puts on the suit ;) We would love to see you there. Please call or email for more information and to register for the class.
Friday, September 24, 2010
LATEST OFFERING
Well, it's official! The Fight Like a Girl seminar will be offered Sunday, October 3rd. Call to register for our Tucson women's self-defense seminar.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
SHE'S BAAACCKKKKK.....
Hi there! I've been remiss in posting on this blog. I was out of town, and working quite a bit and then my "bad guy" was on holiday, so we haven't offered a course this past month. Well the times they are a changin'. We will be offering seminars in October; the Fight Like a Girl seminar and the Fight Like a Girls - Realtor special at a minimum. We are considering offering the Girls on Guard and the advanced Fight Like a Girl seminars. Let me know what you are interested in taking. We currently have open enrollment, so please contact me for details. I look forward to seeing you there.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
FOR ALL THE REALTORS OUT THERE - REALTOR SELF-DEFENSE
Have you ever realized with perfect clarity you are alone with a stranger in a vacant house? I have and it is quite the uncomfortable feeling.
In a National Association of Realtors safety survey of Realtors, 67% have experienced safety concerns, incidents, or other harassing situations while working. The majority of issues involve open houses or vacant properties.
With a background as a real estate appraiser and realtor, I am uniquely familiar with the world of real estate and the potential threats women Realtors face while doing their job. That is why I have developed a specialized Fight Like a Girl seminar geared towards Realtors, in particular; but also for individuals who frequently work around, in or with vacant houses or travel to strange houses for their jobs (appraisers, meter readers, home inspectors, interior designers, dog trainers and the list goes on.). In addition to learning the awesomeness that is the FLAG program, you will also get safety tips and strategies for showing houses, touring vacant houses, working model home complexes and visiting strange houses. Give me a call for more information and to register for the Realtor based self-defense seminar.
In a National Association of Realtors safety survey of Realtors, 67% have experienced safety concerns, incidents, or other harassing situations while working. The majority of issues involve open houses or vacant properties.
With a background as a real estate appraiser and realtor, I am uniquely familiar with the world of real estate and the potential threats women Realtors face while doing their job. That is why I have developed a specialized Fight Like a Girl seminar geared towards Realtors, in particular; but also for individuals who frequently work around, in or with vacant houses or travel to strange houses for their jobs (appraisers, meter readers, home inspectors, interior designers, dog trainers and the list goes on.). In addition to learning the awesomeness that is the FLAG program, you will also get safety tips and strategies for showing houses, touring vacant houses, working model home complexes and visiting strange houses. Give me a call for more information and to register for the Realtor based self-defense seminar.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
SEMINAR GRADUATES
Congratulations to all the graduates on Sunday July 11, 2010 from the FLAG and GOG classes. Both classes were loads of fun and everyone did a fantastic job. My favorite quote from the day: "I feel strong!" Well done ladies!
Monday, July 5, 2010
SEMINAR OFFERING
We are offering 2 (count them 2!) seminars on Sunday, July 11th. From 10 AM - 1 PM we will be holding the Fight Like a Girl module seminar and from 2 PM - 5 PM we will be offering the Girls on Guard seminar. Participants will learn something different in each class, though they compliment each other.
The fee is $40.00 for each class. A $5.00 discount will be given to returning students, if you bring someone with you or you are taking both seminars! I personally recommend taking both seminars.
Participants will get to practice what they learn on the only male in attendance, the co-instructor, who will be wearing a (very) thick padded suit. Come join us in our women's self-defense seminar. Taught by a woman, for women.
The fee is $40.00 for each class. A $5.00 discount will be given to returning students, if you bring someone with you or you are taking both seminars! I personally recommend taking both seminars.
Participants will get to practice what they learn on the only male in attendance, the co-instructor, who will be wearing a (very) thick padded suit. Come join us in our women's self-defense seminar. Taught by a woman, for women.
RISK FACTORS
And now a message from:
Sexual Assault of Women, Prevention Efforts and Risk Factors, Ingrid Sochting, Richmond Hospital, and Nichole Rairbrother and William J Koch, University of British Comlubia Hospital, Violence Against Women, Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2004 p 73-93
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that women trained in self-defense are three times less likely to be raped.”
“…forceful physical resistance, forceful verbal resistance, and fleeing have consistently been found to be the most effective (in preventing rape completion), whereas non-forceful verbal resistance has been related to rape completion.”
“Although some authors have found a link between forceful resistance and an increased risk for injury, others have not. It is noteworthy that the injuries stemming from resistance tend to be minor, that is, cuts and bruises. Only 4% of the women in the study suffered major injuries, such as broken bones. Similarly, only 3% of rape victims in their study required overnight hospitalization, and they concluded that the risk for serious injury during a sexual assault is not high. However, crimes with fatal outcomes were not considered in their data set. Knowing that injury in the form of a completed rape is likely in the absence of any resistance; we can with greater confidence advocate resistance in sexual assaults.”
Sexual Assault of Women, Prevention Efforts and Risk Factors, Ingrid Sochting, Richmond Hospital, and Nichole Rairbrother and William J Koch, University of British Comlubia Hospital, Violence Against Women, Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2004 p 73-93
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that women trained in self-defense are three times less likely to be raped.”
“…forceful physical resistance, forceful verbal resistance, and fleeing have consistently been found to be the most effective (in preventing rape completion), whereas non-forceful verbal resistance has been related to rape completion.”
“Although some authors have found a link between forceful resistance and an increased risk for injury, others have not. It is noteworthy that the injuries stemming from resistance tend to be minor, that is, cuts and bruises. Only 4% of the women in the study suffered major injuries, such as broken bones. Similarly, only 3% of rape victims in their study required overnight hospitalization, and they concluded that the risk for serious injury during a sexual assault is not high. However, crimes with fatal outcomes were not considered in their data set. Knowing that injury in the form of a completed rape is likely in the absence of any resistance; we can with greater confidence advocate resistance in sexual assaults.”
Friday, June 25, 2010
A LITTLE MORE ON FIGHTING BACK
A quote from:
Rape: A Century of Resistance, Patricia D. Rozee and Mary P. Koss, Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25 (2001), 295-311,
“Because of the view of women’s chances against a rapist that these news reports instill, it is not uncommon for families, friends, or male partners to undermine women’s confidence in their ability to defend themselves.
Women who do not resist are more likely to be raped; more often blamed for the rape and are likely to suffer the associated deleterious physical and psychological aftereffects.
The evidence is consistent: resistance may prevent rape and resistance poses no increased risk of injury. For example, Sarah Ullman found that more forceful victim resistance (verbal and physical) was related to less severe sexual abuse even when partialling out level of situational danger and offender aggression. In addition, these researchers found the victim resistance was not related to the level of physical injury. When sequence of events is considered, it is found that women resist more when they are being hurt rather than the reverse.
Self-defense mastery has a strong empowerment effect on women including enhanced perceived control and coping, decreased perceived vulnerability to assault, reductions in negative thinking and anxiety about safety, decreased avoidance behavior, and most potent of all, increased freedom of action.
Consciousness of one’s own ability to resist leads women to feel stronger, more insightful, and more capable of responding effectively to future danger. On the one hand, there is the strong cultural message that rape resistance is both futile and dangerous, and women have been conditioned to believe it. On the other hand, women who do not resist are more likely to be raped, more often blamed for the rape, and are likely to suffer the associated deleterious physical and psychological aftereffects. In addition, if the victim-survivor wants to prosecute the man who raped her, she will encounter negative reactions from juries, because the absence of verbal or physical resistance in creased judgments of victim-survivor consent. The more the victim-survivor resisted, the more certain are the observers that a rape occurred. Although the law does not require resistance, juries still rely on it to decide conflicting claims about consent. Immediate physical or forceful verbal resistance is more likely to successfully prevent rape and, in the case of completed rape, convince the jury that the victim-survivor did all she could to avoid being raped. The evidence is consistent: resistance may prevent rape and resistance poses no increased risk of injury. Self-defense mastery has a strong empowerment effect on women including enhanced perceived control and coping, decreased perceived vulnerability to assault, reductions in negative thinking and anxiety about safety, decreased avoidance behavior, and most potent of all, increased freedom of action.”
Rape: A Century of Resistance, Patricia D. Rozee and Mary P. Koss, Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25 (2001), 295-311,
“Because of the view of women’s chances against a rapist that these news reports instill, it is not uncommon for families, friends, or male partners to undermine women’s confidence in their ability to defend themselves.
Women who do not resist are more likely to be raped; more often blamed for the rape and are likely to suffer the associated deleterious physical and psychological aftereffects.
The evidence is consistent: resistance may prevent rape and resistance poses no increased risk of injury. For example, Sarah Ullman found that more forceful victim resistance (verbal and physical) was related to less severe sexual abuse even when partialling out level of situational danger and offender aggression. In addition, these researchers found the victim resistance was not related to the level of physical injury. When sequence of events is considered, it is found that women resist more when they are being hurt rather than the reverse.
Self-defense mastery has a strong empowerment effect on women including enhanced perceived control and coping, decreased perceived vulnerability to assault, reductions in negative thinking and anxiety about safety, decreased avoidance behavior, and most potent of all, increased freedom of action.
Consciousness of one’s own ability to resist leads women to feel stronger, more insightful, and more capable of responding effectively to future danger. On the one hand, there is the strong cultural message that rape resistance is both futile and dangerous, and women have been conditioned to believe it. On the other hand, women who do not resist are more likely to be raped, more often blamed for the rape, and are likely to suffer the associated deleterious physical and psychological aftereffects. In addition, if the victim-survivor wants to prosecute the man who raped her, she will encounter negative reactions from juries, because the absence of verbal or physical resistance in creased judgments of victim-survivor consent. The more the victim-survivor resisted, the more certain are the observers that a rape occurred. Although the law does not require resistance, juries still rely on it to decide conflicting claims about consent. Immediate physical or forceful verbal resistance is more likely to successfully prevent rape and, in the case of completed rape, convince the jury that the victim-survivor did all she could to avoid being raped. The evidence is consistent: resistance may prevent rape and resistance poses no increased risk of injury. Self-defense mastery has a strong empowerment effect on women including enhanced perceived control and coping, decreased perceived vulnerability to assault, reductions in negative thinking and anxiety about safety, decreased avoidance behavior, and most potent of all, increased freedom of action.”
Thursday, June 24, 2010
FIGHTING BACK WORKS
And now a quote from:
Fighting Back Works: The Case for Advocating and Teaching Self-Defense Against Rape, by Marge Heyden, Tiel Jackson, Billie Anger, and Todd Ellner, From the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, May/June 1999
“A thorough review of the available literature has led us to some surprising conclusions about the effectiveness of traditional anti-rape advice. Women are often advised to use non-aggressive strategies against sexual assault. Research suggests that this is poor advice. According to one study, women who used non-forceful verbal strategies, such as crying or pleading with the assailant, were raped about 96% of the time. In the same study, women who did nothing to protect themselves were raped about 93% of the time.
Forceful verbal resistance, including yelling and loud screaming, was more effective than non-forceful verbal resistance. These strategies were associated with completion of rape from 44% - 50% of the time. This study is particularly interesting because the data were collected from rapists in maximum security psychiatric hospitals, showing that forceful verbal strategies can be effective even against the violently insane.
Running worked even better than verbal resistance. Although researchers who relied on rape crisis center records and police records report a 55% rape completion rate against those who attempted to flee, broader studies … indicate that only 15% of women who attempted to flee were raped. Running was also associated with a lower rate of injury.
Forceful physical resistance was an extremely successful strategy. The completed rape rate dropped to between 45% and 14% [to at least 45% and as low as 14%] when the rapist's attempt was met with violent physical force. Striking was more successful than pushing or wrestling. Physical resistance also appears to be more effective when assault occurs outdoors.
Women are sometimes advised that fighting back will increase their risk of injury. There are two problems with this argument.
First, research shows that physical resistance does not cause further injury to the resister. While there is a correlation between resistance and a somewhat higher rate of physical injury (at most 3%), researchers who examined the sequence of events found that injury usually occurred before resistance. In other words, resisters were not injured because they had resisted: rather, being injured motivated them to fight back. After the initial injury, forceful resistance did not increase the resister's risk of further damage.
Second, this argument overlooks the fact that a woman who does not resist is virtually guaranteed to suffer the emotional and physical injury of the rape itself. Even when resisters are injured, the injury is typically much less severe than a completed rape would have been. Of those 40% of resisters who suffered physical damage, only 7% suffered injury as severe as a dislodged tooth. A woman who fights back incurs no demonstrable chance of additional injury, but she gains a 55-86% chance of avoiding rape altogether.”
Fighting Back Works: The Case for Advocating and Teaching Self-Defense Against Rape, by Marge Heyden, Tiel Jackson, Billie Anger, and Todd Ellner, From the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, May/June 1999
“A thorough review of the available literature has led us to some surprising conclusions about the effectiveness of traditional anti-rape advice. Women are often advised to use non-aggressive strategies against sexual assault. Research suggests that this is poor advice. According to one study, women who used non-forceful verbal strategies, such as crying or pleading with the assailant, were raped about 96% of the time. In the same study, women who did nothing to protect themselves were raped about 93% of the time.
Forceful verbal resistance, including yelling and loud screaming, was more effective than non-forceful verbal resistance. These strategies were associated with completion of rape from 44% - 50% of the time. This study is particularly interesting because the data were collected from rapists in maximum security psychiatric hospitals, showing that forceful verbal strategies can be effective even against the violently insane.
Running worked even better than verbal resistance. Although researchers who relied on rape crisis center records and police records report a 55% rape completion rate against those who attempted to flee, broader studies … indicate that only 15% of women who attempted to flee were raped. Running was also associated with a lower rate of injury.
Forceful physical resistance was an extremely successful strategy. The completed rape rate dropped to between 45% and 14% [to at least 45% and as low as 14%] when the rapist's attempt was met with violent physical force. Striking was more successful than pushing or wrestling. Physical resistance also appears to be more effective when assault occurs outdoors.
Women are sometimes advised that fighting back will increase their risk of injury. There are two problems with this argument.
First, research shows that physical resistance does not cause further injury to the resister. While there is a correlation between resistance and a somewhat higher rate of physical injury (at most 3%), researchers who examined the sequence of events found that injury usually occurred before resistance. In other words, resisters were not injured because they had resisted: rather, being injured motivated them to fight back. After the initial injury, forceful resistance did not increase the resister's risk of further damage.
Second, this argument overlooks the fact that a woman who does not resist is virtually guaranteed to suffer the emotional and physical injury of the rape itself. Even when resisters are injured, the injury is typically much less severe than a completed rape would have been. Of those 40% of resisters who suffered physical damage, only 7% suffered injury as severe as a dislodged tooth. A woman who fights back incurs no demonstrable chance of additional injury, but she gains a 55-86% chance of avoiding rape altogether.”
Sunday, June 20, 2010
SEMINAR GRADUATES
Congratulations to the most recent graduates of the FLAG program! Great class today ladies. Thank you so much for attending. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
RESISTING AN ATTACK AND PHYSICAL INJURY
“A 1989 FBI study shows that there is no correlation between a victim who resists and the amount of physical injury she sustains. 71% of victims avoid being raped by taking self-protective measures, whereas of the remaining 29% only 8% escaped without being raped.”
University of Florida, Community Services Division website on Sexual Battery
University of Florida, Community Services Division website on Sexual Battery
Monday, June 14, 2010
FIGHTING BACK
“They found that in response to physical attacks, the most effective strategies were forceful fighting and screaming for reducing the severity of a sexual assault without increasing the level of physical injury indicating that forceful resistance strategies are effective in avoiding rape without experiencing more physical harm.”
Self-Defense Training: A Brief Review by Alyssa A. Rheingold and Dean G Kilpatrick, National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina. http://www.musc.edu/vawprevention/research/self-defense.html
Self-Defense Training: A Brief Review by Alyssa A. Rheingold and Dean G Kilpatrick, National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina. http://www.musc.edu/vawprevention/research/self-defense.html
Saturday, June 12, 2010
SHIFT IN THINKING
While doing research, not only did I find the DOJ statistics, I read a number of papers, articles and web sites. I’ve scavenged the parts that were the most interesting to me and will post them over the next few weeks. These are taken directly from the source, so there are copyrights on them. The reference information and direct link to the source is located before each excerpt.
In reference to the benefits of physical resistance in the event of an attack: studies have shown that women who resist either physically or verbally (and preferably both) or flee are more likely to avoid the completion of a rape. Studies also show that women who resist with less forceful types of resistance (pleading, crying and reasoning) have a higher likelihood of suffering a completed rape. Women who resist are not likely to suffer more injuries than women who don’t resist; in fact some studies found less injuries occurred. Based on these finding perhaps myths such as “It is better to just talk your way out of an attack.” “You will be injured more if you resist.” “Just throw-up on yourself.” “Women aren’t strong enough to fight back.” should be reconsidered.
The Effects of Resistance Strategies on Rape by Janice M Zoucha-Jensen, MSW and Ann Coyne, PhD, American Journal of Public Health, November 1993, Vol. 83, No. 11.
“These findings also counter some prior research on resistance strategies, research that has resulted in inaccurate advice to women to use only non-forceful verbal resistance, or no resistance at all, if faced with a sexual assault. Those types of resistance strategies were shown in this study to be associated with being raped, not with rape avoidance, and they did not reduce the incidence of physical injury.
This analysis…did indicate that forceful verbal resistance, physical resistance, and fleeing were all associated with rape avoidance, whereas non-forceful verbal resistance and no resistance were associated with being raped. Further, women who used forceful resistance were no more likely to be injured than women who did not resist.”
In reference to the benefits of physical resistance in the event of an attack: studies have shown that women who resist either physically or verbally (and preferably both) or flee are more likely to avoid the completion of a rape. Studies also show that women who resist with less forceful types of resistance (pleading, crying and reasoning) have a higher likelihood of suffering a completed rape. Women who resist are not likely to suffer more injuries than women who don’t resist; in fact some studies found less injuries occurred. Based on these finding perhaps myths such as “It is better to just talk your way out of an attack.” “You will be injured more if you resist.” “Just throw-up on yourself.” “Women aren’t strong enough to fight back.” should be reconsidered.
The Effects of Resistance Strategies on Rape by Janice M Zoucha-Jensen, MSW and Ann Coyne, PhD, American Journal of Public Health, November 1993, Vol. 83, No. 11.
“These findings also counter some prior research on resistance strategies, research that has resulted in inaccurate advice to women to use only non-forceful verbal resistance, or no resistance at all, if faced with a sexual assault. Those types of resistance strategies were shown in this study to be associated with being raped, not with rape avoidance, and they did not reduce the incidence of physical injury.
This analysis…did indicate that forceful verbal resistance, physical resistance, and fleeing were all associated with rape avoidance, whereas non-forceful verbal resistance and no resistance were associated with being raped. Further, women who used forceful resistance were no more likely to be injured than women who did not resist.”
SOME STATISTICS
I had a great question in regards to a previous post – where did I get the information for the numbers I presented. So I wanted to go into some of the statistics I have found and where I found them.
There are a number of different locations on the web where rape/sexual assault statistics are available; government websites, blogs, corporate or non-profit websites and the list goes on. One thing that is to be expected is that the numbers vary from site to site. I have found this could be due to the statistics being from different years or from different original sources, they could be reporting figures based on different ways of adding up the original data collected, they could be reporting a range of numbers, and again, the list goes on. I did find it helpful to take into consideration the type of site I was visiting. I noticed the sources tended to lean towards the numbers that made the most impact for whatever it was they were trying to convey. For example a self-defense site might report the upper end of the range for benefits of fighting back, while a site dealing with medical treatment might report the upper end of the range for potential injuries if the person fought back.
The stats listed below are crime rate statistics from the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics publication Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2007, Statistical Tables and can be found at this website
Disclaimers. This is a fairly long post; there were a lot of statistics, be prepared. The stats are not meant to scare, or worry, or promote a cause or group, or sway opinion, or … ; they are just straight statistics as reported by the DOJ. That’s it. I also know that people who have survived a completed attack or attempted attack are referred to as survivors and not victims. However, in the statistics below, the term victim (or respondent) or victimization is used because that was what was used in the report and I did not want to modify the DOJ terminology or findings, or how they were reported. (aside from taking them from table form and converting them to more of a text format.) Some of the paragraphs are only slightly different from one to the next (e.g. the first listing could be an overall total number of attacks then it could be broken into attacks by strangers and non-strangers). This is not meant to be confusing; these are just different ways the totals were broken up by the DOJ.
All the stats are from 2007 and, due to rounding, totals may not add up to 100%:
GENERAL STATISTICS:
Of 236,980 rapes/sexual assaults on women: 132,220 were rape/attempted rape (with 66,730 completed rapes and 65,490 attempted rapes) and 104,760 sexual assaults (including threats).
Of 11,300 rapes/sexual assaults on men: 8,400 were rape/attempted rape (with 3,120 completed rapes and 5,280 attempted rapes) and 2,900 sexual assaults (including threats).
Of 248,280 rapes and sexual assaults: 42.2% involved strangers and 57.8% involved non-strangers. Broken down further: Of 69,850 completed rapes: 51.4% involved strangers and 48.6% involved non-strangers. Of 70,770 attempted rapes: 36.5% involved strangers and 63.5% involved non-strangers. Of 107,660 sexual assaults: 39.9% involved strangers and 60.1% involved non-strangers.
RELATIONSHIP TO VICTIM:
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 13.5 % were committed by someone related to the victim (8.3% spouse, 2.5% ex-spouse, 0.8% parent, 0.0% own child, 1.8% other relatives), 28.9% the offender was well known, 15.5% were committed by a casual acquaintance, 5.6% don’t know the relationship, 31.2% were strangers, 5.4% don’t know number of offenders.
Of 226,590 rape/sexual assaults committed by a single-offender: 14.7 % were committed by someone related to them (9.1% spouse, 2.7% ex-spouse, 0.9% parent, 0.0% own child, 0.0% brother or sister, 2.0% other relatives), 30.4% the offender was well known, 17.0% were committed by a casual acquaintance, 6.1 don’t know the relationship, 31.7% were strangers.
Of 8,320 rape/sexual assaults committed by multiple-offenders: 0.0% of attacks some or all of the offenders were related, 33.3% some or all of the offenders were well known but not related, 0.0% some or all were casual acquaintances, 0.0 don’t know the relationship, 66.7% were strangers.
RACE OF OFFENDER:
Of 226,590 single-offender rapes/sexual assaults: in 63.0% of the assaults the offender was white, 15.5 % the offender was black, 6.8 percent were ‘other’, and 14.7 were unknown.
AGE OF OFFENDER:
Of 226,590 single-offender rapes/sexual assaults: 0.0% of the offenders were perceived to be under the age of 12, 1.9 % were 12 – 14 years of age, 9.4 % were 15-17 years, 4.6 % were 18 – 20 years, 37.7 % were 21 – 29 years, 37.3 % were 30 or over, and 9.0% were of unknown age.
Of 8,310 multiple-offender rape/sexual assaults: 0.0% of all offenders were perceived to be under 12 years of age, 31.8% all of the offenders were between 12 - 20 years of age, 0.0% 21 - 29 years, 0.0% all 30 and over 0.0% were mixed ages, and 68.2% were not known and not available.
NUMBER OF OFFENDERS:
In single-offender rapes/sexual assaults 94.2% of the offenders are male.
In multiple-offender rape/sexual assaults 100% of the offenders are male.
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 91.3 % were conducted by 1 offender, 2.2 % were conducted by 2 offenders, 0.0 % were conducted by 3 offenders, 1.2% were conducted by 4 or more offenders, and 5.4% were by an unknown number of offenders.
Of 104,670 rape/sexual assaults involving strangers: 81.9% were conducted by 1 offender, 2.5 % were conducted by 2 offenders, 0.0 % were conducted by 3 offenders, 2.8% were conducted by 4 or more offenders, and 12.8% were by an unknown number of offenders.
Of 143,610 rape/sexual assaults involving non-strangers: 98.1% were conducted by 1 offender, 1.9 % were conducted by 2 offenders, 0.0 % were conducted by 3 offenders, 0.0% were conducted by 4 or more offenders, and 0.0% were by an unknown number of offenders.
TIME OF ATTACK
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 35.0% occurred between 6 AM – 6 PM, 63.7% occurred at night (with 40.6% occurring between 6 PM – 12 AM, 21.9% between 12 – 6 AM, and 1.2% of unknown time) and 1.4% not known as to the time of attack.
LOCATION OF VICTIMIZATIONS:
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 41.1% occurred at or in the respondent’s home, 4.5% occurred near the home, 3.3% occurred on the street near home, 15.3% occurred at, in, or near a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s home, 6.5% occurred inside a restaurant, bar, or nightclub, 7.8% occurred in other commercial building, 2.2% occurred in a parking lot or garage, 6.3% occurred inside school building or on school property, 1.7% occurred in an apartment yard, park, field, or playground, 10.0% occurred on street other than near own home, 0.0% occurred on public transportation or inside the station, 1.4% occurred at ‘other’.
Of 104,670 rape/sexual assaults involving strangers; 24.5% occurred at or in the respondent’s home, 2.7% occurred near the home, 4.5% occurred on the street near home, 17.8% occurred at, in, or near a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s home, 15.3% occurred inside a restaurant, bar, or nightclub, 11.2% occurred in other commercial building, 0.0% occurred in a parking lot or garage, 2.5% occurred inside school building or on school property, 4.1% occurred in an apartment yard, park, field, or playground, 17.3% occurred on street other than near own home, 0.0% occurred on public transportation or inside the station, 0.0% occurred at ‘other’.
Of 143,610 rape/sexual assaults involving non-strangers; 53.2% occurred at or in the respondent’s home, 5.8% occurred near the home, 2.4% occurred on the street near home, 13.4% occurred at, in, or near a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s home, 0.0% occurred inside a restaurant, bar, or nightclub, 5.3% occurred in other commercial building, 3.9% occurred in a parking lot or garage, 9.0% occurred inside school building or on school property, 0.0% occurred in an apartment yard, park, field, or playground, 4.7% occurred on street other than near own home, 0.0% occurred on public transportation or inside the station, 2.4% occurred at ‘other’.
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults 41.1% occurred inside home or lodging, 10.5% occurred near respondent’s home, 8.5% occurred one mile from home or less, 11.8% occurred 5 miles from home or less, 23.7% occurred 50 miles from home or less, 4.5% occurred more than 50 miles from home.
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 3.0 % of the victims were working or on duty, 3.4% were on the way to or from work, 1.8% were on the way to or from school, 9.2% were on the way to or from some other place, 6.7% were shopping or running errands, 6.3% were attending school, 26.6% were doing a leisure activity away from home, 12.3% were sleeping, 29.3% were doing other activities at home, 1.4% were doing something ‘other’.
REPORTING TO THE POLICE
Of 248,260 rape/sexual assaults: 41.6% were reported to police and 48.4% were not reported (69,850 rapes, 53.9% were reported and 46.1% were not reported and of the 70,770 attempted rapes 49.3% were reported and 50.7 % were not reported.) Of the 107,660 sexual assaults 28.6% were reported and 71.4% were not reported.
38.8% of female victims reported the rape/sexual assaults to the police. 49.3% of female victims report if the rape/sexual assault involved a stranger and 31.3% reported if the rape/sexual assault involved a non-stranger.
Of 12 - 19 years olds victimized by a rape/sexual assault 44.7% reported it to the police, of 20 - 34 years olds 40.2% reported it, of 35 - 49 year olds 33.7% reported it, of 50 - 64 year olds 65.1% reported it and of 65 + year olds 59.3% reported it to the police.
Of the 94,020 number of reasons for reporting rape/sexual assaults: 9.4% were to stop or prevent this incident, 13.2% needed help due to injury, 27.3% to prevent further crimes by offender against victim, 17.6% to prevent crime by offender against anyone, 15.9% to punish offender, 8.0% to catch or find offender, 0.0% to improve police surveillance, 0.0% duty to notify police, 8.6% because it was a crime. (Note some respondents may have cited more than one reason for reporting victimizations to the police)
Out of 66,840 number of reasons for not reporting rapes/sexual assaults involving strangers: 15.3% reported it to another official, 6.7% said it was a private or personal matter, 0.0% said the offender was unsuccessful, 6.7% said it was not important enough, 17.5% said lack of proof, 8.0% said police would not want to be bothered, 7.2% said the police were inefficient, ineffective, or biased, 4.3% stated fear of reprisal, 6.7% said too inconvenient or time consuming, 27.5% said ‘other reasons’.
Out of 109,010 number of reasons for not reporting rapes/sexual assaults involving non-strangers: 2.5% reported it to another official, 20.7% said it was a private or personal matter, 6.6% said the offender was unsuccessful, 7.9% said it was not important enough, 0.0% said lack of proof, 8.1% said police would not want to be bothered, 2.9% said the police were inefficient, ineffective, or biased, 24.4% stated fear of reprisal, 3.4% said to inconvenient or time consuming, 23.5% said ‘other reasons’.
SELF-PROTECTIVE MEASURES
The first to use force in a rape/sexual attack: 21.7% of the time the respondent was the first to use force, 66.9% of the time the offender was the first to use force, and 11.4% data was not available.
In 248,280 rape/sexual assaults, 91.2% of the incidents no weapon was used by the offender, 5.6 % of the incidents a weapon was used, and 3.2% don’t know if a weapon was used. Of the 5.6% of weapons used: 1.1% used a firearm, 2.5% used a knife, and 2.0% used a blunt weapon.
66.4% of females took self-protective measure in the event of rape/sexual assault.
In the case of rape/sexual assault 72.0% of individuals took self-protective measures if the victimization involved a stranger, 61.7% took self-protective measures if the victimization involved a non-stranger.
Of 164,030 rape/sexual assaults in which self-protective measures were employed: 50% of the respondents indicated it helped the situation, 12.2% said it hurt the situation, 6.8% said it both helped and hurt the situation, 15.9% said it neither helped nor hurt the situation, 3.7 % don’t know if it helped and 11.4% data was not available.
Of 128,010 rape/sexual assaults in which self-protective measures taken by the victim were helpful: 37.7% avoided injury or greater injury, 34.2% scared the offender off, 25.2% escaped, and 2.9% protected property.
Data was not broken out for rapes/sexual assaults as to reasons self-protective measures taken by the victim were harmful. Of 403,120 crimes of violence (including rape, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated and simple assault) in which self-protective measures taken by the victim were harmful: 65.2% made the offender angrier, more aggressive, 16.6% led to injury or greater injury, 2.6% caused greater property damage, 2.5% caused others to get hurt, 3.7% let the offender get away, 8.3% made the situation worse in other ways, 0.9% not available.
Of the self-protective measures employed by victims in a rape/sexual assault; 0.9% attacked offender with weapon, 6.3% attacked offender without weapon, 0.9% threatened offender with weapon, 1.4% threatened offender without weapon, 31.6% resisted or captured offender, 13.9% scared or warned offender, 10.8% persuaded or appeased offender, 15.0% ran away or hid, 9.9% got help or gave alarm, 8.1% screamed from pain or fear, 1.1% took other measures. Note: some respondents may have cited more than one self-protective measure employed.
There are a number of different locations on the web where rape/sexual assault statistics are available; government websites, blogs, corporate or non-profit websites and the list goes on. One thing that is to be expected is that the numbers vary from site to site. I have found this could be due to the statistics being from different years or from different original sources, they could be reporting figures based on different ways of adding up the original data collected, they could be reporting a range of numbers, and again, the list goes on. I did find it helpful to take into consideration the type of site I was visiting. I noticed the sources tended to lean towards the numbers that made the most impact for whatever it was they were trying to convey. For example a self-defense site might report the upper end of the range for benefits of fighting back, while a site dealing with medical treatment might report the upper end of the range for potential injuries if the person fought back.
The stats listed below are crime rate statistics from the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics publication Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2007, Statistical Tables and can be found at this website
Disclaimers. This is a fairly long post; there were a lot of statistics, be prepared. The stats are not meant to scare, or worry, or promote a cause or group, or sway opinion, or … ; they are just straight statistics as reported by the DOJ. That’s it. I also know that people who have survived a completed attack or attempted attack are referred to as survivors and not victims. However, in the statistics below, the term victim (or respondent) or victimization is used because that was what was used in the report and I did not want to modify the DOJ terminology or findings, or how they were reported. (aside from taking them from table form and converting them to more of a text format.) Some of the paragraphs are only slightly different from one to the next (e.g. the first listing could be an overall total number of attacks then it could be broken into attacks by strangers and non-strangers). This is not meant to be confusing; these are just different ways the totals were broken up by the DOJ.
All the stats are from 2007 and, due to rounding, totals may not add up to 100%:
GENERAL STATISTICS:
Of 236,980 rapes/sexual assaults on women: 132,220 were rape/attempted rape (with 66,730 completed rapes and 65,490 attempted rapes) and 104,760 sexual assaults (including threats).
Of 11,300 rapes/sexual assaults on men: 8,400 were rape/attempted rape (with 3,120 completed rapes and 5,280 attempted rapes) and 2,900 sexual assaults (including threats).
Of 248,280 rapes and sexual assaults: 42.2% involved strangers and 57.8% involved non-strangers. Broken down further: Of 69,850 completed rapes: 51.4% involved strangers and 48.6% involved non-strangers. Of 70,770 attempted rapes: 36.5% involved strangers and 63.5% involved non-strangers. Of 107,660 sexual assaults: 39.9% involved strangers and 60.1% involved non-strangers.
RELATIONSHIP TO VICTIM:
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 13.5 % were committed by someone related to the victim (8.3% spouse, 2.5% ex-spouse, 0.8% parent, 0.0% own child, 1.8% other relatives), 28.9% the offender was well known, 15.5% were committed by a casual acquaintance, 5.6% don’t know the relationship, 31.2% were strangers, 5.4% don’t know number of offenders.
Of 226,590 rape/sexual assaults committed by a single-offender: 14.7 % were committed by someone related to them (9.1% spouse, 2.7% ex-spouse, 0.9% parent, 0.0% own child, 0.0% brother or sister, 2.0% other relatives), 30.4% the offender was well known, 17.0% were committed by a casual acquaintance, 6.1 don’t know the relationship, 31.7% were strangers.
Of 8,320 rape/sexual assaults committed by multiple-offenders: 0.0% of attacks some or all of the offenders were related, 33.3% some or all of the offenders were well known but not related, 0.0% some or all were casual acquaintances, 0.0 don’t know the relationship, 66.7% were strangers.
RACE OF OFFENDER:
Of 226,590 single-offender rapes/sexual assaults: in 63.0% of the assaults the offender was white, 15.5 % the offender was black, 6.8 percent were ‘other’, and 14.7 were unknown.
AGE OF OFFENDER:
Of 226,590 single-offender rapes/sexual assaults: 0.0% of the offenders were perceived to be under the age of 12, 1.9 % were 12 – 14 years of age, 9.4 % were 15-17 years, 4.6 % were 18 – 20 years, 37.7 % were 21 – 29 years, 37.3 % were 30 or over, and 9.0% were of unknown age.
Of 8,310 multiple-offender rape/sexual assaults: 0.0% of all offenders were perceived to be under 12 years of age, 31.8% all of the offenders were between 12 - 20 years of age, 0.0% 21 - 29 years, 0.0% all 30 and over 0.0% were mixed ages, and 68.2% were not known and not available.
NUMBER OF OFFENDERS:
In single-offender rapes/sexual assaults 94.2% of the offenders are male.
In multiple-offender rape/sexual assaults 100% of the offenders are male.
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 91.3 % were conducted by 1 offender, 2.2 % were conducted by 2 offenders, 0.0 % were conducted by 3 offenders, 1.2% were conducted by 4 or more offenders, and 5.4% were by an unknown number of offenders.
Of 104,670 rape/sexual assaults involving strangers: 81.9% were conducted by 1 offender, 2.5 % were conducted by 2 offenders, 0.0 % were conducted by 3 offenders, 2.8% were conducted by 4 or more offenders, and 12.8% were by an unknown number of offenders.
Of 143,610 rape/sexual assaults involving non-strangers: 98.1% were conducted by 1 offender, 1.9 % were conducted by 2 offenders, 0.0 % were conducted by 3 offenders, 0.0% were conducted by 4 or more offenders, and 0.0% were by an unknown number of offenders.
TIME OF ATTACK
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 35.0% occurred between 6 AM – 6 PM, 63.7% occurred at night (with 40.6% occurring between 6 PM – 12 AM, 21.9% between 12 – 6 AM, and 1.2% of unknown time) and 1.4% not known as to the time of attack.
LOCATION OF VICTIMIZATIONS:
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 41.1% occurred at or in the respondent’s home, 4.5% occurred near the home, 3.3% occurred on the street near home, 15.3% occurred at, in, or near a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s home, 6.5% occurred inside a restaurant, bar, or nightclub, 7.8% occurred in other commercial building, 2.2% occurred in a parking lot or garage, 6.3% occurred inside school building or on school property, 1.7% occurred in an apartment yard, park, field, or playground, 10.0% occurred on street other than near own home, 0.0% occurred on public transportation or inside the station, 1.4% occurred at ‘other’.
Of 104,670 rape/sexual assaults involving strangers; 24.5% occurred at or in the respondent’s home, 2.7% occurred near the home, 4.5% occurred on the street near home, 17.8% occurred at, in, or near a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s home, 15.3% occurred inside a restaurant, bar, or nightclub, 11.2% occurred in other commercial building, 0.0% occurred in a parking lot or garage, 2.5% occurred inside school building or on school property, 4.1% occurred in an apartment yard, park, field, or playground, 17.3% occurred on street other than near own home, 0.0% occurred on public transportation or inside the station, 0.0% occurred at ‘other’.
Of 143,610 rape/sexual assaults involving non-strangers; 53.2% occurred at or in the respondent’s home, 5.8% occurred near the home, 2.4% occurred on the street near home, 13.4% occurred at, in, or near a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s home, 0.0% occurred inside a restaurant, bar, or nightclub, 5.3% occurred in other commercial building, 3.9% occurred in a parking lot or garage, 9.0% occurred inside school building or on school property, 0.0% occurred in an apartment yard, park, field, or playground, 4.7% occurred on street other than near own home, 0.0% occurred on public transportation or inside the station, 2.4% occurred at ‘other’.
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults 41.1% occurred inside home or lodging, 10.5% occurred near respondent’s home, 8.5% occurred one mile from home or less, 11.8% occurred 5 miles from home or less, 23.7% occurred 50 miles from home or less, 4.5% occurred more than 50 miles from home.
Of 248,280 rape/sexual assaults: 3.0 % of the victims were working or on duty, 3.4% were on the way to or from work, 1.8% were on the way to or from school, 9.2% were on the way to or from some other place, 6.7% were shopping or running errands, 6.3% were attending school, 26.6% were doing a leisure activity away from home, 12.3% were sleeping, 29.3% were doing other activities at home, 1.4% were doing something ‘other’.
REPORTING TO THE POLICE
Of 248,260 rape/sexual assaults: 41.6% were reported to police and 48.4% were not reported (69,850 rapes, 53.9% were reported and 46.1% were not reported and of the 70,770 attempted rapes 49.3% were reported and 50.7 % were not reported.) Of the 107,660 sexual assaults 28.6% were reported and 71.4% were not reported.
38.8% of female victims reported the rape/sexual assaults to the police. 49.3% of female victims report if the rape/sexual assault involved a stranger and 31.3% reported if the rape/sexual assault involved a non-stranger.
Of 12 - 19 years olds victimized by a rape/sexual assault 44.7% reported it to the police, of 20 - 34 years olds 40.2% reported it, of 35 - 49 year olds 33.7% reported it, of 50 - 64 year olds 65.1% reported it and of 65 + year olds 59.3% reported it to the police.
Of the 94,020 number of reasons for reporting rape/sexual assaults: 9.4% were to stop or prevent this incident, 13.2% needed help due to injury, 27.3% to prevent further crimes by offender against victim, 17.6% to prevent crime by offender against anyone, 15.9% to punish offender, 8.0% to catch or find offender, 0.0% to improve police surveillance, 0.0% duty to notify police, 8.6% because it was a crime. (Note some respondents may have cited more than one reason for reporting victimizations to the police)
Out of 66,840 number of reasons for not reporting rapes/sexual assaults involving strangers: 15.3% reported it to another official, 6.7% said it was a private or personal matter, 0.0% said the offender was unsuccessful, 6.7% said it was not important enough, 17.5% said lack of proof, 8.0% said police would not want to be bothered, 7.2% said the police were inefficient, ineffective, or biased, 4.3% stated fear of reprisal, 6.7% said too inconvenient or time consuming, 27.5% said ‘other reasons’.
Out of 109,010 number of reasons for not reporting rapes/sexual assaults involving non-strangers: 2.5% reported it to another official, 20.7% said it was a private or personal matter, 6.6% said the offender was unsuccessful, 7.9% said it was not important enough, 0.0% said lack of proof, 8.1% said police would not want to be bothered, 2.9% said the police were inefficient, ineffective, or biased, 24.4% stated fear of reprisal, 3.4% said to inconvenient or time consuming, 23.5% said ‘other reasons’.
SELF-PROTECTIVE MEASURES
The first to use force in a rape/sexual attack: 21.7% of the time the respondent was the first to use force, 66.9% of the time the offender was the first to use force, and 11.4% data was not available.
In 248,280 rape/sexual assaults, 91.2% of the incidents no weapon was used by the offender, 5.6 % of the incidents a weapon was used, and 3.2% don’t know if a weapon was used. Of the 5.6% of weapons used: 1.1% used a firearm, 2.5% used a knife, and 2.0% used a blunt weapon.
66.4% of females took self-protective measure in the event of rape/sexual assault.
In the case of rape/sexual assault 72.0% of individuals took self-protective measures if the victimization involved a stranger, 61.7% took self-protective measures if the victimization involved a non-stranger.
Of 164,030 rape/sexual assaults in which self-protective measures were employed: 50% of the respondents indicated it helped the situation, 12.2% said it hurt the situation, 6.8% said it both helped and hurt the situation, 15.9% said it neither helped nor hurt the situation, 3.7 % don’t know if it helped and 11.4% data was not available.
Of 128,010 rape/sexual assaults in which self-protective measures taken by the victim were helpful: 37.7% avoided injury or greater injury, 34.2% scared the offender off, 25.2% escaped, and 2.9% protected property.
Data was not broken out for rapes/sexual assaults as to reasons self-protective measures taken by the victim were harmful. Of 403,120 crimes of violence (including rape, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated and simple assault) in which self-protective measures taken by the victim were harmful: 65.2% made the offender angrier, more aggressive, 16.6% led to injury or greater injury, 2.6% caused greater property damage, 2.5% caused others to get hurt, 3.7% let the offender get away, 8.3% made the situation worse in other ways, 0.9% not available.
Of the self-protective measures employed by victims in a rape/sexual assault; 0.9% attacked offender with weapon, 6.3% attacked offender without weapon, 0.9% threatened offender with weapon, 1.4% threatened offender without weapon, 31.6% resisted or captured offender, 13.9% scared or warned offender, 10.8% persuaded or appeased offender, 15.0% ran away or hid, 9.9% got help or gave alarm, 8.1% screamed from pain or fear, 1.1% took other measures. Note: some respondents may have cited more than one self-protective measure employed.
SEMINAR OFFERING
Seminar offering. We will be offering a module 1 Fight Like a Girl class on Sunday June 20, 2010 from 1:30 – 4:30 at our facility on Speedway and Alvernon. The class size is limited, so please register early. Please contact me to sign up.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
WOMENS EMPOWERMENT SERIES OVERVIEW
As mentioned before, I am certified to teach women’s self-defense courses from the Women’s Empowerment Series, also collectively called the Fight Like a Girl method. I currently offer two of the modules; the Fight Like A Girl and Girls on Guard courses, with plans to add Defense against Weapons and Weapons for Women courses later this summer.
I’ve had lots of questions regarding the details of the course content. To quote a friend, “Suzanne, what am I going to learn in your seminars and how are they different than the other self-defense class being offered?” To which I responded “Good question, let me sum up.” Though she didn’t get the Princess Bride reference, she did get a better understanding of why this method of women's self-defense is like no other and totally kicks butt. (I would have used a stronger word there, but my Mom reads this blog) Anyway, she kindly listened as I expounded the virtues of The Women’s Empowerment Series, then promptly mentioned I should have this on my blog. (Duh, Suzanne.)
So here you go, a condensed version of what my friend heard. Though I did add in a bit of background information here that she didn’t get. I told her she would have to read the blog. Heh.
So here’s the thing. 1 in 4 women will be attacked in her lifetime. Yes, you read that right – 25% of women will be attacked in their lifetime. 75% of the women will know their attacker. Pretty sobering statistics, aren’t they?
On the flip side, studies show that 50 % of all attackers will break off the attack if a woman even indicates she is willing to resist. That’s right, you double your chances of success when you fight back. Studies also show that women who resist an attacker are not injured any more than women who don’t resist. Now, I’m sure some of you reading the first line closely thought “hmmm, but what about the other 50% of attackers.” Well done. That is what we need to address; that other 50%.
Most self-defense methods were developed by men with the mindset of “if someone were to attack me what would I do?” Though an excellent question, the responses are, by definition, based on what a man would to if attacked by a man. Frequently these moves rely on pain compliance – hurting the attacker until he stops the attack, or they are based on break and escape techniques. And yes, these moves can be effective. For men. For women, not so much.
Have you ever tried to break the grasp of a large man holding your wrist, even just in fun? I have. Didn’t work. And I practice Tae Kwon Do. The problem? Compared to most men I’m small and not nearly as strong. And I was using self-defense methods developed by men to combat other men. What I needed to be utilizing were self-defense moves for women to combat a man.
Women have different strengths then men. Taking these strengths into account and implementing them is how the Fight Like A Girl method of women’s self-defense was developed. That’s why the play on words. In our seminars to Fight Like A Girl is a smart strategy to employ a woman’s strengths to a tactical advantage.
When a man attacks a man it is usually for his money or his life. When a man attacks a woman it can be for her money, life or her body. Women have a whole different set of concerns that men don’t have to deal with. Concerns that we deal with in the Women's Empowerment Self-Defense seminars.
In the opening paragraph I said this method kicks butt. Here’s why, with bullet points:
►This is a women’s self-defense method geared towards the average woman. You DO NOT need to be a martial artist to take these classes. (However, if you are a martial artist, it will add nicely to your training. It did mine.)
►Speaking (earlier) of my Mom; she took the FLAG class and fought off our 255 pound male role-player (“bad guy”). She’s just over 5 feet tall and, well… let’s just say, older. (I don’t think she would like it if I gave out her age to the interwebs.)
►The moves are easy to learn, easy to retain, and easy to implement. At the end of the 3 hour seminar you will walk away with a practical method of self-defense that you have learned in a controlled environment and utilized against a male role-playing attacker – the “bad guy” that is easy to remember in high stress situations.
►And speaking of the ‘bad guy’… at the end of each seminar you will get to practice what you have learned FULL CONTACT and using FULL STRENGTH on our "bad guy" who will be wearing a very thick padded protective suit. For some reason, this is the part of the class participants seem to enjoy the most. (And yes, I know, I should charge extra just for this.)
►These methods teach a woman to use her natural strengths against a man’s inherent weaknesses
►These are women's only seminars. No men will be in the room, except the male role-playing attacker.
►The program provide women the tools and knowledge they need to gain the best chance of effectively defending themselves from sexual assault.
►You will be taught by me, a woman.
So now you have a little more information about what to expect in the Women’s Empowerment Self-Defense courses. Every woman should take these seminars. Let me repeat; every woman should take these seminars.
And speaking of that…we are pretty flexible with the scheduling. We sometimes get big groups who are interested in taking a seminar and will schedule based on when the most women from that group can attend. We also have a running list of women interested in attending and once we get enough people on the list we offer a seminar. We can teach the class with as little as one person (though it is better with more) and up to 20 people. So call or email me and sign up.
You have one life. Fight for it.
I’ve had lots of questions regarding the details of the course content. To quote a friend, “Suzanne, what am I going to learn in your seminars and how are they different than the other self-defense class being offered?” To which I responded “Good question, let me sum up.” Though she didn’t get the Princess Bride reference, she did get a better understanding of why this method of women's self-defense is like no other and totally kicks butt. (I would have used a stronger word there, but my Mom reads this blog) Anyway, she kindly listened as I expounded the virtues of The Women’s Empowerment Series, then promptly mentioned I should have this on my blog. (Duh, Suzanne.)
So here you go, a condensed version of what my friend heard. Though I did add in a bit of background information here that she didn’t get. I told her she would have to read the blog. Heh.
So here’s the thing. 1 in 4 women will be attacked in her lifetime. Yes, you read that right – 25% of women will be attacked in their lifetime. 75% of the women will know their attacker. Pretty sobering statistics, aren’t they?
On the flip side, studies show that 50 % of all attackers will break off the attack if a woman even indicates she is willing to resist. That’s right, you double your chances of success when you fight back. Studies also show that women who resist an attacker are not injured any more than women who don’t resist. Now, I’m sure some of you reading the first line closely thought “hmmm, but what about the other 50% of attackers.” Well done. That is what we need to address; that other 50%.
Most self-defense methods were developed by men with the mindset of “if someone were to attack me what would I do?” Though an excellent question, the responses are, by definition, based on what a man would to if attacked by a man. Frequently these moves rely on pain compliance – hurting the attacker until he stops the attack, or they are based on break and escape techniques. And yes, these moves can be effective. For men. For women, not so much.
Have you ever tried to break the grasp of a large man holding your wrist, even just in fun? I have. Didn’t work. And I practice Tae Kwon Do. The problem? Compared to most men I’m small and not nearly as strong. And I was using self-defense methods developed by men to combat other men. What I needed to be utilizing were self-defense moves for women to combat a man.
Women have different strengths then men. Taking these strengths into account and implementing them is how the Fight Like A Girl method of women’s self-defense was developed. That’s why the play on words. In our seminars to Fight Like A Girl is a smart strategy to employ a woman’s strengths to a tactical advantage.
When a man attacks a man it is usually for his money or his life. When a man attacks a woman it can be for her money, life or her body. Women have a whole different set of concerns that men don’t have to deal with. Concerns that we deal with in the Women's Empowerment Self-Defense seminars.
In the opening paragraph I said this method kicks butt. Here’s why, with bullet points:
►This is a women’s self-defense method geared towards the average woman. You DO NOT need to be a martial artist to take these classes. (However, if you are a martial artist, it will add nicely to your training. It did mine.)
►Speaking (earlier) of my Mom; she took the FLAG class and fought off our 255 pound male role-player (“bad guy”). She’s just over 5 feet tall and, well… let’s just say, older. (I don’t think she would like it if I gave out her age to the interwebs.)
►The moves are easy to learn, easy to retain, and easy to implement. At the end of the 3 hour seminar you will walk away with a practical method of self-defense that you have learned in a controlled environment and utilized against a male role-playing attacker – the “bad guy” that is easy to remember in high stress situations.
►And speaking of the ‘bad guy’… at the end of each seminar you will get to practice what you have learned FULL CONTACT and using FULL STRENGTH on our "bad guy" who will be wearing a very thick padded protective suit. For some reason, this is the part of the class participants seem to enjoy the most. (And yes, I know, I should charge extra just for this.)
►These methods teach a woman to use her natural strengths against a man’s inherent weaknesses
►These are women's only seminars. No men will be in the room, except the male role-playing attacker.
►The program provide women the tools and knowledge they need to gain the best chance of effectively defending themselves from sexual assault.
►You will be taught by me, a woman.
So now you have a little more information about what to expect in the Women’s Empowerment Self-Defense courses. Every woman should take these seminars. Let me repeat; every woman should take these seminars.
And speaking of that…we are pretty flexible with the scheduling. We sometimes get big groups who are interested in taking a seminar and will schedule based on when the most women from that group can attend. We also have a running list of women interested in attending and once we get enough people on the list we offer a seminar. We can teach the class with as little as one person (though it is better with more) and up to 20 people. So call or email me and sign up.
You have one life. Fight for it.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
SEMINAR OFFERING
Hello one and all. There will be a seminar offered on Sunday April 25, 2010. Please call for additional information.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
TPD CHILD ABDUCTION PREVENTION
Tucson Police Department has a crime prevention site with some good information. So following the same vein of the last WSDT post - here is what they say on child abduction prevention:
Child Abduction Prevention
-Yell, Kick, & Scream - This may seem obvious, but many children freeze when they are grabbed by strangers. Kidnappers want children to go along quietly. Yell - "This person is a stranger!" Kick - kidnapper's foot, groin, or knee. Scream.
-Area Code & Phone Number - Make sure your child knows your area code and phone number. Does your child know how to make a collect call or dial in case of an emergency? Teach your child not to give your phone number or address to strangers.
-Buddy System - A child alone is an easy target. Encourage your children to use the buddy system and to watch out for each other.
-Current Photos & Records - Get photos taken every 6 months of your children and keep a photo on your person at all times. Fingerprints should be taken by a law enforcement, (TPD can assist you. More info here). Copies of their dental and medical records are a must.
-Lure Tactics - " I have lost my puppy. Will you help me find him?" "I'll give you $10 if you'll help me put this in the car." Parents, teach your children how to respond to these people. It is best to ignore them, avoid any conversation, and run.
-Family Code Word - Parents, a code word is a lock and key for your child. "Your Mom and Dad have been in a car wreck. You need come with me right now!" Child: " What is the code word?" If they don't know it then child doesn't go. The child runs away from that person and tells whomever is responsible for them--teacher or parent--what happened. Get a description of the perpetrator if possible.
-Separation Plan - Teach your children to go to a cashier or ticket booth if they are separated from you while at a mall, amusement park, or any place you travel.
-Check Route to School - The route to school should be established by a parent and under no circumstances should the child deviate from that route. Avoid alleys, etc.
-Notify School - Make sure the school will notify you if your child does not arrive at school. Let the principal know who is authorized to pick up your child.
-Communication - Keep good communication lines open with your children.
Neighbors - Organize a Neighborhood Watch group and participate in a safe home program.
-Child's Clothes - Make a mental note of what your child wears every day! Do not put your child's name on the outside of the clothing because it allows a stranger to become verbally intimate with your child. Put the name on inside of clothes.
Child Abduction Prevention
-Yell, Kick, & Scream - This may seem obvious, but many children freeze when they are grabbed by strangers. Kidnappers want children to go along quietly. Yell - "This person is a stranger!" Kick - kidnapper's foot, groin, or knee. Scream.
-Area Code & Phone Number - Make sure your child knows your area code and phone number. Does your child know how to make a collect call or dial in case of an emergency? Teach your child not to give your phone number or address to strangers.
-Buddy System - A child alone is an easy target. Encourage your children to use the buddy system and to watch out for each other.
-Current Photos & Records - Get photos taken every 6 months of your children and keep a photo on your person at all times. Fingerprints should be taken by a law enforcement, (TPD can assist you. More info here). Copies of their dental and medical records are a must.
-Lure Tactics - " I have lost my puppy. Will you help me find him?" "I'll give you $10 if you'll help me put this in the car." Parents, teach your children how to respond to these people. It is best to ignore them, avoid any conversation, and run.
-Family Code Word - Parents, a code word is a lock and key for your child. "Your Mom and Dad have been in a car wreck. You need come with me right now!" Child: " What is the code word?" If they don't know it then child doesn't go. The child runs away from that person and tells whomever is responsible for them--teacher or parent--what happened. Get a description of the perpetrator if possible.
-Separation Plan - Teach your children to go to a cashier or ticket booth if they are separated from you while at a mall, amusement park, or any place you travel.
-Check Route to School - The route to school should be established by a parent and under no circumstances should the child deviate from that route. Avoid alleys, etc.
-Notify School - Make sure the school will notify you if your child does not arrive at school. Let the principal know who is authorized to pick up your child.
-Communication - Keep good communication lines open with your children.
Neighbors - Organize a Neighborhood Watch group and participate in a safe home program.
-Child's Clothes - Make a mental note of what your child wears every day! Do not put your child's name on the outside of the clothing because it allows a stranger to become verbally intimate with your child. Put the name on inside of clothes.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
LESSONS LEARNED
Over the past few months there has been a rash of attempted child abductions in the Tucson area.
On January 14th a 13 year-old girl was grabbed around the waist by a man trying to abduct her. He covered her mouth and told her not to scream. She did exactly the opposite and yelled until he let her go. She then went to a bus stop where other kids were waiting for the bus.
On January 19th a man in a pickup truck pointed a gun at a girl walking home from school and demanded she get in the vehicle. She ran away and escaped.
On February 5th a man in a pickup truck pulled a girl walking home from school into the vehicle. She screamed and fought with him while he drove until he pushed her out of the truck. She sustained minor injuries.
On February 11th a man tried to pull 2 sisters walking to school into his mini-van. He got the 11 year-old in the car and drove off as the 9 year-old was screaming. Neighbors came out, with one man giving chase. The multiple descriptions of the car and partial plate number quickly led police to the kidnapper. He did not have the girl at the time of his arrest. She was found later, injured and walking in a local park. She sustained the injuries when she fought her attacker.
911 tapes released in Tucson kidnapping case
Abduction of an 11-year old girl: update and arrest
Cops: Child-kidnap suspect not linked to other recent case
Man Arrested in Student Abduction Cases
Four horrific stories and 5 brave girls that did the right thing in a bad situation. The fought, screamed, kicked and yelled for help until their attackers let them go. They followed both the stay with people and go to people principles taught in Fight Like a Girl and Girls on Guard. As a result, 2 of the 3 attackers were arrested and the girls are still alive. What those girls did took courage and strength. Now, take what they did and learn from it. Don’t get in the car. Attract attention. Fight back.
On January 14th a 13 year-old girl was grabbed around the waist by a man trying to abduct her. He covered her mouth and told her not to scream. She did exactly the opposite and yelled until he let her go. She then went to a bus stop where other kids were waiting for the bus.
On January 19th a man in a pickup truck pointed a gun at a girl walking home from school and demanded she get in the vehicle. She ran away and escaped.
On February 5th a man in a pickup truck pulled a girl walking home from school into the vehicle. She screamed and fought with him while he drove until he pushed her out of the truck. She sustained minor injuries.
On February 11th a man tried to pull 2 sisters walking to school into his mini-van. He got the 11 year-old in the car and drove off as the 9 year-old was screaming. Neighbors came out, with one man giving chase. The multiple descriptions of the car and partial plate number quickly led police to the kidnapper. He did not have the girl at the time of his arrest. She was found later, injured and walking in a local park. She sustained the injuries when she fought her attacker.
911 tapes released in Tucson kidnapping case
Abduction of an 11-year old girl: update and arrest
Cops: Child-kidnap suspect not linked to other recent case
Man Arrested in Student Abduction Cases
Four horrific stories and 5 brave girls that did the right thing in a bad situation. The fought, screamed, kicked and yelled for help until their attackers let them go. They followed both the stay with people and go to people principles taught in Fight Like a Girl and Girls on Guard. As a result, 2 of the 3 attackers were arrested and the girls are still alive. What those girls did took courage and strength. Now, take what they did and learn from it. Don’t get in the car. Attract attention. Fight back.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
SEMINAR OFFERING
Attention! Attention! Attention! Did that work?
We will be offering the women’s self-defense course (from Defend University's Women's Empowerment Series) Fight Like A Girl (FLAG) on Sunday March 21, 2010. This 3 hour seminar will run from 1- 4 PM and will teach how to effectively escape from common sexual assault scenarios. The investment is $40.00 for the seminar. If you recommend a friend who has not taken the course before, you will receive a $5.00 discount off your fee. Due to the nature of the subject matter discussed in this seminar, participants need to be over 14 years of age and participants under 18 need to have the written permission of a parent or guardian.
The FLAG module emphasizes the “stay with people" principle and covers the most common sexual assault scenarios. In this seminar students will learn what to do when rape is imminent. We will start in the worst possible position (because once you learn to handle that, the others seem easier in comparison) where an attacker has you pinned to the ground then progress to other possible attack senarios. At the end of the class students will have the opportunity to practice their newly learned techniques on male role-players, men in (very) padded training suits, so students can get an opportunity to practice what they learned in a reality based situation. This is a female only class. The only men in attendance will the male role-playing ("bad guys”) instructors. Please email for further seminar and payment information. womensselfdefense@hotmail.com. See you there.
You have one life. Fight for it.
We will be offering the women’s self-defense course (from Defend University's Women's Empowerment Series) Fight Like A Girl (FLAG) on Sunday March 21, 2010. This 3 hour seminar will run from 1- 4 PM and will teach how to effectively escape from common sexual assault scenarios. The investment is $40.00 for the seminar. If you recommend a friend who has not taken the course before, you will receive a $5.00 discount off your fee. Due to the nature of the subject matter discussed in this seminar, participants need to be over 14 years of age and participants under 18 need to have the written permission of a parent or guardian.
The FLAG module emphasizes the “stay with people" principle and covers the most common sexual assault scenarios. In this seminar students will learn what to do when rape is imminent. We will start in the worst possible position (because once you learn to handle that, the others seem easier in comparison) where an attacker has you pinned to the ground then progress to other possible attack senarios. At the end of the class students will have the opportunity to practice their newly learned techniques on male role-players, men in (very) padded training suits, so students can get an opportunity to practice what they learned in a reality based situation. This is a female only class. The only men in attendance will the male role-playing ("bad guys”) instructors. Please email for further seminar and payment information. womensselfdefense@hotmail.com. See you there.
You have one life. Fight for it.
A WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
I’m not much of a girl. You know – a girlie girl. Never have been, don’t plan on every being. No make-up, hair in a ponytail, physical pain when I am forced to wear a dress and heels. I can count on the unmanicured nails of one hand how many times my fingernails have been painted. My sister once observed about a boyfriend of mine, (the kind girls dream of – a flower-bearing, poetry-writing romantic) “Suzanne, if he were a guy he’d be just like you”.
So when I started looking for a women’s self-defense method to teach that was not martial arts based (because I don’t believe you can effectively teach a martial art in 3 hours) and came across “Fight Like A Girl” from the Women’s Empowerment Series developed by Brad Parker out of Phoenix, Arizona (www.rapeescape.com) I had immediate flashbacks to my childhood. The ultimate insults to boy and girl alike: You run like a girl. You throw like a girl. You hit like a girl. You fight like a girl. To which was always the immediate and vehement response – “No I don’t!”. Those taunting words insinuated you were insufficient, inadequate, ineffective.
Weak.
Thankfully, I had been recommended to the self-defense website by someone familiar with it, and based on what she said, continued investigating beyond the title - to finally understand the play on words. Fight like a girl. Intrigued with what I was reading: that this method of self-defense is for all women no matter age, physical ability, conditioning, or training; that it addresses the scenario that all that you’ve done in preparation has gone wrong and you are in the worst position imaginable; that you learn to effectively escape from those positions, I signed up for the instructor’s training class. I went from interested but a little leery and disbelieving to stunned and impressed over the course of 2 days. I learned that fighting like a girl was a compliment, not a criticism. An honor, not an insult. That as a woman I was strong, not weak. I am no longer defensive when someone says “You fight like a girl”, I am proud of it. I even wear the t-shirt.
So when I started looking for a women’s self-defense method to teach that was not martial arts based (because I don’t believe you can effectively teach a martial art in 3 hours) and came across “Fight Like A Girl” from the Women’s Empowerment Series developed by Brad Parker out of Phoenix, Arizona (www.rapeescape.com) I had immediate flashbacks to my childhood. The ultimate insults to boy and girl alike: You run like a girl. You throw like a girl. You hit like a girl. You fight like a girl. To which was always the immediate and vehement response – “No I don’t!”. Those taunting words insinuated you were insufficient, inadequate, ineffective.
Weak.
Thankfully, I had been recommended to the self-defense website by someone familiar with it, and based on what she said, continued investigating beyond the title - to finally understand the play on words. Fight like a girl. Intrigued with what I was reading: that this method of self-defense is for all women no matter age, physical ability, conditioning, or training; that it addresses the scenario that all that you’ve done in preparation has gone wrong and you are in the worst position imaginable; that you learn to effectively escape from those positions, I signed up for the instructor’s training class. I went from interested but a little leery and disbelieving to stunned and impressed over the course of 2 days. I learned that fighting like a girl was a compliment, not a criticism. An honor, not an insult. That as a woman I was strong, not weak. I am no longer defensive when someone says “You fight like a girl”, I am proud of it. I even wear the t-shirt.
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