Six Ways To Protect Yourself From A Sexual Assault

First of all, you should understand that there is no foolproof method that will work every time, in every situation. You will require accessing the situation and doing whatever makes logical sense to you, at that time. Your only objective is to get away before being harmed. You also need some basic sex education. This is beyond the scope of this article; please consult your mother (or another mature female relative if you don’t have one) to provide this information.

More often than not, a sexual assault is performed by someone known. It could even be a relative or a friend. Your options will differ depending on this. Having said that, let us evaluate the various options available.

1. If you already know each other, one option is to letting his guard down by pretending that you are interested and excited about what he is doing. Show genuine interest and more importantly, smile! Smiling will lower his guard faster! Do not make the mistake of resisting, either physically or verbally (or both). Remember, he already knows that the chances to escape are slim. The situation may also be a planned one. Defending yourself will only make him more aggressive and reduce your chances to escape. It can also cause you more harm than was intended. Once you are able to win his trust that you are willing to participate, he will at least be less aggressive. If required, carry through a little degree of affection, but bear in mind that your goal is to get away, not participate. Since he is in a heightened state of arousal, his brain is less analytic and he may accept your intentions as honest. If required, suggest a better place that you think will be more romantic (actually, a place where the chances of escape are higher). Then once you’re confident that it is the right time to make the move, attack. Attack could mean hit very hard where it hurts the most and then escape. This has to be sudden, without warning. However, if you think that you can just run away before he realizes it and catches you, then don’t bother to hit, just run.

2. Another way to calm your attacker is by simply telling them not to continue. However, you need to show a great deal of confidence in yourself. Your physical attributes can also help – if you’re larger than him or even equal, or you have a muscular body and know (or pretend to know) karate and kungfu, this can deter him. You can even lie to him that you will hit on one of the weak points you’ve learnt of, that will instantly kill him or disable him for life. This is a very difficult approach; so think twice before using it. If you’re not confident it may backfire on you.

3. Start screaming at the top of your voice, if you’re confident of being heard by someone outside who will come to help. Do this while walking or running around fast; don’t let him catch you or put his hand over your mouth.

4. Self defense is another way to pacify your attacker. If you know karate or kung-fu, use your best steps and attack him where it hurts the most. Eyes, groin, nose, throat and the solar plexus are some extremely vulnerable points. If you haven’t learnt these, just hit out like crazy. Pick anything that you see can be used as a weapon and hit hard. Glass bottles, wooden or iron things, paper weights, chairs, utensils, knives – even pencils or pens. Remember – don’t be afraid to inflict serious pain to your attacker. And don’t even feel guilty – survival is your ultimate objective. Don’t bother if you look stupid or crazy. If he thinks you’re mad, good for you!

5. Another way to repulse him is by doing something crazy, like vomiting on him. Push your fingers down your throat if you have to. Get hold of some chili powder and rub it on your body (avoid your eyes, please)! Try to throw chili powder in his eyes or on his body. Try to cover your body with the dirtiest of things if you can find it nearby, like mud, etc. Even go to extremes like urinating and / or excreting in front of him and making a mess of things. Your goal is to put him off / repulse him.

6. Another idea is to lie to him that you would like to participate but you’ve got AIDS or some other highly contagious venereal disease. Or tell him to be careful as you have big worms that sometimes come out and may harm him. This should certainly repulse him.

I hope you found this article useful. Remember to make a police complain against him, irrespective of whether you have succeeded in protecting yourself or not. Also let as many people know about the attack, as required. If you do not raise a voice, he will be tempted to try again; if not on you, then someone else. Make him suffer and get punished for his unpardonable deed.