THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG...

Through a rapist's eyes!

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on whatthey 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. Theyare most likely to go after a woman w ith a ponytail, bun, braid or otherhairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after awoman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for womenwhose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissorsaround to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through theirpurse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guardand can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is a grocerystore parking lot.

5] Number two are office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three are public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman andquickly move her to a second location where they don't have to worry aboutgetting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged becauseit only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after youisn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, orother similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to theattacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guysyou're not worth it.

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:

1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or withyou in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them aquestion, like 'what time is it', or make general small talk like'can'tbelieve it is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter'. Now thatyou've seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you loseappeal as a target.

2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of youand yell 'Stop!' or 'Stay back!' Most of the rapists this mantalked tosaid they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would notbe afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of itand carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling 'I HAVE PEPPERSPRAY!'and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can doit 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 inthe upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught toldhim she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape herand was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strandsthe guy neededstitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can standit; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from aparticularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it isextremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make himwant to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor isthat they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Startcausing trouble, and he's out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers andbend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down onthem as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure,and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware ofyour surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any oddbehavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel a littlesilly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really wastrouble.

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ...I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be sometime, when you will go "Hmm... I must remember that." After reading,forward it to someone you care about. Never hurts to be careful in thiscrazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. Ifyou are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : If a robber asks foryour wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you...chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse thanyou and he will go for the wallet and/or purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHERDIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back taillights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. Thedriver won't see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating,working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list,etc.)DON'T DO THIS!The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfectopportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to yourhead, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU LOCK YOUR DOORS...LEAVE!

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parkinggarage:a. Be aware. Look around you. Look into your car, at the passenger sidefloor, and in the back seat.b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passengerdoor. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into theirvans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.c. Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and thepassenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car,you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get aguard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN
SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells arehorrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYSRUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. Andeven then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may getyou raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking,well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspectingwomen. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help"intohis vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his nextvictim.