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Gender Identity

10 Rape Prevention Tips That Actually Work

December 7, 2016

Today we want to share a list of 10 rape prevention tips, originally posted by Leigh Hofheimer.  

We should note, these tips apply for any gender or sexual orientation so feel free to replace the word “woman/women” in the following sentences:  

TEN RAPE PREVENTION TIPS: 

  1. Don’t put drugs in women’s drinks. 
  2. When you see a woman walking by herself, leave her alone 
  3. If you pull over to help a woman whose car has broken down, remember not to rape her. 
  4. If you are in an elevator and a woman gets in, don’t rape her. 
  5. When you encounter a woman who is asleep, the safest course of action is to not rape her. 
  6. Never creep into a woman’s home through an unlocked door or window, or spring out at her from between parked cars, or rape her. 
  7. Remember, people go to the laundry room to do their laundry. Do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room. 
  8. Use the Buddy System! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from raping women, ask a trusted friend to accompany you at all times. 
  9. Carry a rape whistle. If you find that you are about to rape someone, blow the whistle until someone comes to stop you. 
  10. Don’t forget: Honesty is the best policy. When asking a woman out on a date, don’t pretend that you are interested in her as a person; tell her straight up that you expect to be raping her later. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the woman may take it as a sign that you do not plan to rape her.

 

Not the list you expected? If you were hoping to learn a new personal defense move, a lie detection technique or learn about a new safety app, this is not it. We decided to share this list to make clear that risk reduction is not the same as sexual assault prevention. 

RISK REDUCTION VS. PREVENTION  

Sexual assault prevention focuses on educating people to avoid an attack in the first place, while risk reduction focuses on interrupting an action in progress. Unfortunately, we still live in a culture where risk reduction is the most popular information communicated to women and youth during Sex Ed classes.  

While risk reduction can help us feel safe the truth is that there is no length of skirt that will prevent a perpetrator from perpetrating. Carrying your keys between your fingers or pepper spray when walking down the street won’t do anything to prevent assault from people you may know or live with you.  

Sexual assault prevention aims to challenge false beliefs about gender roles, sex, entitlement and dating to create a cultural shift. Instead of concentrating as a society on how potential victims can protect themselves, we should focus more on educating both men and women about consent and respect.

Consent and respect.

Consent and respect. 

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Want to know more about Catharsis Productions’ sexual assault prevention programs? Click here.

Catharsis Productions

Catharsis Productions' mission is to change the world by producing innovative, accessible and 
research-supported programming that challenges oppressive attitudes and shifts behavior.