330 Rape and Sexual Assault
How to
Avoid Rape
There is no one right or wrong way to behave to avoid rape.
But there are some things a woman can do that may make
her less likely to suffer some kinds of rape. What a woman
does depends on how well she knows the man, how afraid
she is, and how much danger she thinks she is in. Remember,
if a woman is raped, it is not because she failed to avoid the
rape, but because someone stronger forced himself on her.
These ideas may help any woman avoid rape
Protect yourselves.
Work with others.
• Do your work with other women. You will
be safer and stronger if you work together in
groups.
• Do not let anyone who makes you feel
nervous into your home. Do not let him
know if you are there alone.
• Try not to walk alone, especially at night. If
you must go alone, hold your head up and act
as though you feel confident. Most rapists will
look for a woman who looks easy to attack.
• If you think you are being followed, try walking
in another direction, or go up to another
person, a house, or a store. Or, turn around
and ask him very loudly what he wants.
332
self defense
• Carry something with you that will make a loud noise, like
a whistle. Also, carry something that you can use to defend
yourself. This could be a stick, something you can spray in
his eyes, or even some hot spicy powder—like hot pepper
or chili powder—to blow in his eyes.
• If you are attacked, scream as loudly as you can or use your
whistle. If this does not work, hit back quickly to hurt him,
so that you may be able to get away.
Avoiding rape by someone you know
Learn to trust your feelings. Most women are taught from
a very early age to always be polite and to try not to offend
anyone. So when someone does something that makes a
woman feel uncomfortable, she often has a hard time acting on
her feelings. But be careful if you:
• have a lasting feeling that something is not right.
• feel afraid, or like you want to leave.
• feel uncomfortable with comments or suggestions the
person is making.
• dislike the physical contact he makes.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012