Taking responsibility for one`s own safety is much like defensive driving, said Detective John Tauchen of the Addison Police Department.
”You can be following all the rules of the road and still be involved in a traffic accident if you aren`t paying attention,” he said.
And increasing numbers of women are taking responsibility for their own safety by attending self-defense classes where basic kicks, strikes and skills are taught as well as recommendations offered for assault prevention.
Karen Barlow, coordinator for the state`s attorney`s Du Page Victim Witness Assistance Program, found the information she learned from a YWCA self-defense class to be invaluable.
While vacationing in Europe six years ago, Barlow was walking up a London subway staircase when a man grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. Barlow said she yelled ”no” in his face in a deep voice. The man released his grip and Barlow took off running.
”I don`t think it would have occurred to me to react like that if I hadn`t taken the class,” she said.
For many women, the alarming rate of sexual assault and domestic violence are a motivating force for enrolling in self-defense classes.
Mary Boland is a YWCA self-defense instructor as well as a third-degree black belt in danzan ryu jujitsu. She also is an attorney for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Boland`s decision to learn self-defense was the result of standing at the wrong end of a knife during an armed robbery in 1977.
”Self-defense is a tool of choice. It`s not a guarantee or even appropriate to use in all situations. But it offers options and some sense of your own empowerment,” Boland said.
In a cooperative study, the National Victim Center, the Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center and Medical University of South Carolina estimated 683,000 forcible rapes were committed nationwide in 1990. This translates as one in every eight women having been sexually assaulted at least once in her life, with 62 percent of the victims under the age of 18.
These figures are more than three times higher than reported by the Justice Department, because, according to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault`s statistics from the Senate Judiciary Committee, only about 7 percent of the victims report the crime to police.
And rape is not the only violent crime against women. The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence states women in the United States are the victims of beating at the rate of one every 15 seconds, with domestic violence resulting in more injuries requiring medical attention than rape, accidents and muggings combined.
Dan Jansa, instructor and part-owner of Midwest Martial Arts Academy Inc. in Naperville, has held self-defense classes for women at his school as well as through the Villa Park, Lisle, Naperville and Oakbrook Terrace Park Districts and women`s organizations.
He also teaches hapkido and tang soo do, two forms of Korean martial arts, at Midwest, the Villa Park Park District and College of Du Page, Glen Ellyn.
Jansa said he finds that women are not only interested in basic techniques to defend themselves but are also entering the martial arts field in greater numbers than ever before.
”Statistics show the growing demand for women to become more aware of their surroundings and capable of defending themselves,” he said. ”It is encouraging to see women as a growing population in karate.”
The YWCA began offering self-defense classes twice a year in 1984, but due to the mounting enrollment and long waiting lists, classes now run year-round in cooperation with College of Du Page.
”A lot of women feel there is nothing they can do (to prevent a sexual assault), but that isn`t true,” said Robert Wilson, crime prevention officer for the Addison Police Department and a member of the Illinois Crime Prevention Association. ”They can use what we refer to as personal weapons. Women have powerful legs that can deliver devastating blows. Elbows and fingers can be used effectively in simple tactics.”
Unlike boys, who grow up with contact sports, female students in Boland`s classes are offered their first opportunity to feel what it is like to hit someone by kicking and striking a padded wall and making some contact with fellow students.
But the ability to perform any physical skill accurately does not happen overnight. Even basic techniques need to be practiced long after the classes end, Wilson said.
”A skill must be practiced 3,000 to 5,000 times before it becomes an automatic response,” he said.
Even after much practice, physically reacting to an assault can still be difficult for some women.
”It`s ingrained for women to apologize for hurting someone,” said Boland. ”We don`t want to be rude. I remind students that no one has the right to take their dignity. The attacker doesn`t worry about hurting us.”
For those who can not overcome that obstacle of hurting anyone for any reason, Tauchen offers an alternative.
”A victim can stick her finger down her throat to induce vomiting during an assault,” he said. ”She won`t smell or look appealing, and the move is something a woman can do to herself for herself.”
Carrying a weapon without a special permit is illegal in Illinois, but when Wilson is asked to speak to Addison women`s groups on self-defense, he reminds his audience of the potential side effects of doing so.
”If you do carry a weapon, it should be less than lethal in case it is used on you,” he said. ”I never forget that every call I go on, at least one weapon could be used against me, and that`s mine.”
He also recommends trying out anything you do decide to carry.
”A chemical agent (such as Mace) can be useless or harmful to yourself if you do not know how to direct the stream, or if it is a spray the wind blows back in your face.”
But being prepared physically is only half the battle in self-defense.
”You must be mentally prepared,” said Wilson. ”Think different circumstances through in your mind by playing `What if . . . ?` You won`t have the time to think in a crisis. You have to be mentally and physically ready.” And all the training in the world will not be effective if the victim lacks confidence in her ability to resist an assault.
”Women don`t believe they can actually stop a man from physically harming them,” said Boland, ”but I remind them the offender is not the Terminator. He is human just like us.”
There is some controversy as to whether a victim increases her potential for physical harm by resisting an attack, but repeated studies have shown that women do not worsen their chances of survival. Most often, an assault is prevented by fighting back.
”About 20 percent of the rapists do become angrier and fight harder with resistance,” said Wilson, ”but women can learn in self-defense class how to identify the different types of rapists and how to best handle a situation.” Understanding common characteristics of a victim and the profile of a rapist is also necessary ammunition in assault prevention.
Police officers, karate instructors and the Sexual Assault Services of Du Page agree that 80 percent of the rapists look for an easy target. Tiny women are more vulnerable simply because their size poses limitations to resistance. Authorities recommend walking in a confident manner with head held high. Being aware of surroundings and the people around you at all times is a must. For this reason, women are more likely to be assaulted while out of town than while commuting near home because of their confusion and disorientation with surroundings.
It is advised to park your car in a well-lit and populated area. Check around and inside before entering a vehicle or home.
Students are instructed by Boland to look suspicious people straight in the eye, not aggressively, but in a manner that shows you are aware of their existence and are not intimidated.
And before dating a man, notice if he is verbally abusive or makes derogatory remarks, particularly in regard to women. If he is respectful to others, it is unlikey he would be a threat alone on a date.
