This Bureau of Justice Statistics PDF document confirms that women are the subject of violence at least eight times more often than men. That statistic is often bandied about but never really documented. And it may seem surprising to most men who question the validity of that fact. But when you stop and think about it and just open your eyes and read newspaper headlines or watch television, you suddenly gain an appreciation for the fact.
That is part of the reason why in this article we offer evidence that women need to be much more concerned about their personal safety and personal security than they are. We will then offer some self-defense suggestions for women at home, in the workplace, and on the road.
In our article entitled ‘The 5 Most Common Places For Attacks On Women’ we note that assaults on women can occur any time or anywhere.
Statistically, these are the most common places for assaults on women.
1. At home with domestic violence. Somewhere between 25 and 30% of all women are victims of domestic abuse.
2. At a college or university. With more women going on to get degrees and advanced degrees, for the first time in history, there are more women in college than men. Much has been made of the fact that college sexual assaults happen to as many as 30% of all college-age women.
3. In parking lots. Think about poorly lit and secluded areas of many parking lots and the distractions that women face when coming out of big-box stores. Those factors combine to make women susceptible to assaults.
In a recent article entitled ‘Self-Defense Tips To Keep Women Safe,’ we offer six self-defense tips, to make women feel and be much safer.
From the National Organization for Women comes this article on ‘Why Women are Targeted for Crimes’.
The article points out that women remain the most common victims of muggings and robbery. They suggest the reason for this is women are perceived to be more passive and give up without a fight.
Many men perceive women as “mousy and weak” and do not expect a fight out of women when they are assaulted. Obviously, the best way to avoid any of these crimes is to do anything possible to prevent them from happening. Prevention helps ensure that women limit the situation they find themselves that can lead to serious crimes. Some of those tips for prevention would be walking with a dog or with a group of friends and avoiding dark areas at night.
If women are assaulted the best thing they can do is fight for survival. Fight in any way you can by using your voice with a scream, purse, hands, feet, keys or anything else you can use as a weapon. Of course, we always have suggested that women always carry a self-defense weapon such as stun gun or a pepper spray. That way you at least have a fighting chance of surviving a fight and fending off your attacker.
We recommend a keychain defensive spray because it is much more likely to be with you when you need it. This ¾ ounce container has enough oleoresin capsicum for as many as nine shots up to 7 feet away.
Have you ever been attacked? Where? What were the circumstances? Please share your experience.