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.”