I must agree with Helen on this. I was previously a case manager at a sexual
assault crisis center, and most of the information conveyed here is
inaccurate. This email has been floating around for the past few years,
sometimes adding in a story about a woman in the Hamilton Place (or whatever
local mall) parking lot. The idea that most rapes are "stranger rapes" is a
myth that has been circulating for years. The truth is that most women are
assaulted in their own homes by someone they know. It is not about sex, it
is about power. I am in no way saying that these "back alley" scenarios
never happen, it is, however, highly unlikely. It is always a good idea to
be aware of your surroundings, no matter what the situation.

I find the idea that only "very attractive" women are assaulted highly
offensive. Women and men of all ages, colors, sizes, religions, economics,
etc are at a risk. This is a crime that does not apply to only attractive
young women. This is another myth that has been perpetuated through our
society for years as well.

I would like to suggest reading the following website in order to read about
accurate statistics and information and sexual assault:
  http://www.rainn.org/statistics.html


Christie Parris

Christie Parris
Office for Students with Disabilities
110 Frist Hall
425-4006

-----Original Message-----
From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Valerah Hodges
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2004 9:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [UTCSTAFF] through the eyes of a rapist

With the holidays approaching, I thought this worthy information for you
ladies who will be shopping for your loved ones during this Christmas
season.  It could save your life.





> Through a Rapist's Eyes
>
> A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what
> they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting
> facts:
>
> 1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
> They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid
> or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely
> to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not
> common targets.
>
> 2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women
> who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors
> around to cut clothing.
>
> 3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through
> their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are
> off guard and can be easily overpowered.
>
> 4) The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is
> in the early morning, between 5 and 8:30 a.m
>
> 5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is grocery
> store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number
> three is public restrooms.
>
> 6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman
> and quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to
> worry about getting caught.
>
> 7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year
> sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years
>
> 8 ) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged
> because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going
> after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.
>
> 9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,
> other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their
> hands. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close
> to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince
> these guys you're not worth it.
>
> 10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is
> following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an
> elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question,
> like what time is it, or make general small talk, I can't believe it
> is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter. Now you've seen their
> face and could identify them in a line-up, you lose appeal as a > target.
>
> 11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in! front of
> you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to
> said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would
> not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY
> target.
>
> 12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of
> it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER
> SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
>
> 13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you
> can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from
> behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
> armpit or in the upper inner thigh -- HARD. One woman in a class this
> guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was
> trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin
> and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching
> yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts.
>
> 14) ! After the initial hit, always go for the groin... I know from a
> particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it
> is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and
> make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
> instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of
> trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.
>
> 15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers
> and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing
> down on them as possible.. The instructor did it to me without using
> much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked
> audibly.
>
> 16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware
> of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see
> any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may
>
> feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy
> really was trouble.
>
> PLEASE READ THEN FORWARD THIS TO EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW, IT'S SIMPLE
> STUFF BUT IT COULD SAVE HER LIFE
>