Protecting Yourself
Listed below are just a few helpful hints that will help
to keep you safe:
 |
Stay alert to your
surroundings. |
 |
Avoid dark streets.
Carry a flashlight with a strong battery.
|
 |
Avoid secluded areas.
|
 |
Don't walk alone, if
possible. Leave your workplace with other people, and check your
vehicle for intruders before climbing inside.
|
 |
Don't carry large sums
of money and don't ever count or show a roll of bills in public.
|
 |
If you think you are
being followed, go to the nearest lighted house or business and call
for help. |
 |
Keep your car in good
mechanical condition to avoid breaking down.
|
 |
Make sure the gas tank
is filled. |
 |
Avoid stopping to aid
drivers who appear to have car trouble. Instead, report the trouble
to the police and let them assist the driver.
|
 |
Carry a cellular phone
so that you can call police for help if needed.
|
For Women
Women are often targeted as victims. The attacker
generally looks for a vulnerable target in a dark or secluded area.
Below are just a few recommendations to help you keep safe:
 |
Carry a shrill whistle
or other noisemaker; |
 |
Never walk alone or in
the dark; |
 |
Try to take different
routes of travel to become unpredictable;
|
 |
Walk with your purse
latched toward you not toward the street;
|
 |
Be able to describe
your purse and its contents in detail;
|
 |
Remember - don't be
paranoid. Just be cautious! |
For Men
So long as society believes these myths,
and teaches them to children from their earliest years, sexually abused
males will be unlikely to get the recognition and help they need.
So long as society believes these myths, sexually abused males will be
more likely join the minority of survivors who perpetuate this suffering
by abusing others.
So long as boys or men who have been sexually abused believe these
myths, they will feel ashamed and angry.
And so long as sexually abused males believe these myths they reinforce
the power of another devastating myth that all abused children struggle
with: that it was their fault. It is never the fault of the child in a
sexual situation—though perpetrators can be quite skilled at getting
their victims to believe these myths and take on responsibility that is
always and only their own.
For any male who has been sexually abused, becoming free of these myths
is an essential part of the recovery process.
Sexual Assault or Abuse
In the links to follow you will find many useful
articles, statistics, facts and references, as well as techniques and
strategies.
Date Rape
Acquaintance Rape
Myths About Male Sexual Abuse
Sexual Assault Information Page
National Domestic Violence/Abuse Hotline
Sexual Assault Recovery and Information Page
Parents and Loves Ones of Sexual Abuse and Rape Victims