Protect Yourself Against Rape

More than ten rapes have taken place in the last two days. The most recent being the case of a 17-year old girl being raped at Kalyan station in Mumbai by three men. And in an even more shocking incident, two miscreants gouged out an eye of a girl who resisted rape in Uttar Pradesh.
What’s even worse is that when the girl’s parents went to the police with a complaint, they were turned away! These incidents are making women wonder ‘Are we really safe?’ Here are some tips to defend yourself against any form of sexual or physical violence.

Carry these in your bag: Safety pin: You are travelling in a crowded bus/train and someone feels you up? Jab him with a safety pin that you have kept handy in your pocket or a place in your purse that is easily accessible. Pepper spray/deodorant: If someone is attacking you from the front, spray the attacker with either pepper spray or deodorant in the eye and run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. If you are wearing heels, double it up as a weapon and stamp the attacker hard on his foot. The sharp pain will prevent him from following you.

Be alert: Be alert and aware of what is happening around you at all times. While it may be tempting to listen to music or touch up your lips while waiting for a bus to come, it is the time the lurking rapist might take you for being vulnerable and attack. So be confident and act like you know where you are going.

Take a self defence class: Find out about self defence classes nearby and enroll. Or take up a form of self defence sport like kickboxing, judo or karate. They teach you how to protect yourself against attackers and about the most vulnerable spot of the attacker you can hit/ cause pain to.

Here are some weak spots: Use your elbow to hit the attacker hard either on his chest, stomach or solar plexus. Kick him in the shin that is a vulnerable spot too. Simply hit him hard on his groin. This will cause him a lot of pain, long enough for you to escape. If the guy is holding you with both his hands, use your palms to slap him hard on his ears. This will cause him to bend forward in pain. Now hit him hard on this solar plexus with your knee (only if you are strong) and run.