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Women of Chididi

Stay Safe - A Guide to Self Protection for Women

INTRODUCTION

The Safety Tips

This material is designed to empower women with the most up-to-date information on cognitive strategies that will protect them from men who might try and hurt them.

Research informs us that women today (particularly young women) have a pervasive fear of sexual assault. This fear erodes self-confidence, and often restricts freedom of movement.

These safety tips are essential information for women today. 

They will help to protect women by providing them with knowledge, awareness and skills.  Women will develop confidence in their ability to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations, and also learn the “street smart” tactics necessary to deal with a crisis.

“Empowerment” is an overused word today, but audience response indicates that the material in this unique presentation is truly empowering.

The following section teaches women which rape resistance strategies work, and which ones don’t.  It will also teach women the following skills:

  • How to recognize and deter potential assailants.
  • How to prevent a potential sexual assault before it begins by learning to avoid “high risk” situations.
  • The tactics that serial predators use to abduct young women.
  • The attitudes that will most help, or hinder a woman under attack.
  • How a woman should respond to dangerous situations.
  • Women’s physiological responses to trauma, and how to use those responses to save lives.

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Disclaimer

If you think your life is in danger, always call the emergency services whenever possible.

This information is intended for guidance only. Use your own judgement in each situation.

It is impossible to describe a 'common' rape. Each rapist operates in an individual way, and women need to be aware of a variety of techniques to help themselves in a rape situation. There is no one answer to assure safety.

Please bear in mind that these safety tips were designed for Canadian citizens and advice will vary in different situations and locations. Always use your own local knowledge of your region in applying the safety tips.

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Resources:

Rape: Psychology, Prevention and Impact - by Marcia Cohen and Sherrie H. McKenna - Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute
Rape and Sexual Assault - by Dean G. Kilpatrick, Ph.D. - National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center - Medical University of South Carolina

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The Author - Dan Gamble

Dan-GambleDan GambleIn the late 1990s, Dan Gamble, a Canadian father of two teenage daughters, was upset at the kind of advice his daughters were getting from friends and at school, about how to protect themselves from predators. 

He knew that the myths and general misinformation they were hearing was wrong – and in many cases, put them in greater danger. 

As a sociologist and criminology researcher by training, he decided to thoroughly research the subject. 

This evolved into three years of extensive study, consulting hundreds of books, journals, articles, and interviews, finally culminating in a lecture presentation he called “Rape Resistance Strategies for Women” (RRSW).

This presentation has been given to tens of thousands of women over the years.  The various safety tips and stories in this section, come from this lecture and subsequent research.

The information is from a North American/European context, but many of the recommendations will be relevant to women in other regions.

Also by Dan Gamble

Ghosts of Violence: Ballet as a Catalyst for Change

Ghosts of Violence is a powerful ballet on the subject of violence against women, which had its world premiere recently in Ottawa, Canada.

Created by the Atlantic Ballet Company of Canada, this multi-media initiative brings the tragic issue of domestic violence back into the spotlight.