Keep Your Daughter Safe: 171 Ways Young Women can Prevent Sexual Assault
A "must read" for every woman in America above the age of 14. This book is not meant to scare its readers, but to give women the information necessary to avoid situations that could lead to rape or sexual assault.
There is NO OTHER BOOK LIKE THIS in America. Grand Award Winner in Writing Excellence, this 116 page book is a quick, yet thorough guide, through situations that many people have no idea can even lead up to sexual assaults. Much of the information found in this book exists nowhere else. Purchase 2 - - one for your daughter and one for the daughter of a friend, family member or co-worker.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue/Introduction
Is Your School S.A.F.E. CERTIFIEDTM
Chapter 1 Why I Wrote This Book
Chapter 2 Rape & Sexual Assault Defined
Chapter 3 Victim Blaming vs. Empowerment
Chapter 4 Statistics
Chapter 5 The Vast Repercussions of Sexual Assault
Chapter 6 Myth versus Reality
Chapter 7 Attacker Profiles and Their Methods of Operation
Chapter 8 GHB the Date-Rape Drug
Chapter 9 Awareness: Online Safety
Chapter 10 Awareness: Parking Lots, Cars and Public Transportation
Chapter 11 Awareness: While Walking or Jogging
Chapter 12 Awareness: At Bars, Clubs and Parties
Chapter 13 Awareness: In Your Home or Apartment
Chapter 14 Awareness: In Offices, Elevators and Stairways
Chapter 15 Awareness: On Job Interviews
Chapter 16 Awareness: When Traveling
Chapter 17 Awareness: Online Dating
Chapter 18 Awareness: Dating and Date Rape
Chapter 19 Thwarting an Attack
Chapter 20 You’ve Been Sexually Assaulted – What Now?
Epilogue
Resources
Bibliography
About the Author
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EXCERPTS
from Is Your School S.A.F.E. CERTIFIEDTM
Colleges claim they do everything they can to keep the campus safe. The problem is that predator, also known as unknown assailant, attacks are EXTREMELY rare in the college environment. What is not rare are rapes and sexual assaults committed by known assailants. The United States Department of Justice reports that as many as 95% of all attacks taking place in the college environment are known-assailant assaults.
from Chapter 1 - Why I Wrote This Book
I was not interested in merely writing one more self-defense manual for the following reasons:
- There were already more than enough of these types of books and training classes in the marketplace.
- I knew that knowledge of self-defense gives many women a false sense of security, where oftentimes they find themselves caught in situations they may have exited or never entered had they NOT had self-defense training.
- Finally, I wanted women to realize that if they were relying on self-defense, in most cases, it was already too late.
from Chapter 2 - What is Rape / What is Sexual Assault
Many women I speak with feel they have a full understanding of what constitutes rape and sexual assault, but on numerous occasions I’ve had women tell me after hearing (or reading) the information found in this chapter, that they had actually been victims of rape and/or sexual assault without even realizing it. You may ask how this is possible, but once you’ve completed this chapter, you’ll be very clear how someone could’ve been confused.
This next sentence is abridged. Rape and sexual assault are sexual acts committed against a victim where the victim has NOT given consent to the commission of those acts. A drunk person, a sleeping person, a passed out person are all legally INCAPABLE of giving consent.
from Chapter 3 - Awareness versus Victim-Blaming
I pulled the majority of this chapter from my blog at www.EndingRape.org. One reason I’m including it here is to attempt to ensure that we remain focused on the bigger picture - - that rape and sexual assault are NEVER THE FAULT OF THE VICTIM.
from Chapter 4 - Statistics
FACT: 1 in 4 college women will be sexually assaulted during her tenure as a student. This too, is a Department of Justice statistic.
from Chapter 5 - The Vast Repercussions of Sexual Assault
In his study titled The Mental Health Impact of Rape, Dean Kilpatrick, Ph.D., found the following:
- Almost one-third of rape victims experienced post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Rape victims were 3 times more likely than women who were not victims of a violent crime to experience a major depressive episode.
- A victim of rape was 13 times more likely than a non-crime victim to have attempted suicide.
- 1 in 8 rape victims has attempted suicide.
- Rape victims were 13 times more likely to have a problem with alcohol.
- Rape victims were 26 times more likely to have some type of drug abuse problem.
from Chapter 6 - Myth versus Reality
MYTH: Rapists and sexual predators are easy to spot; they fit a specific profile.
REALITY: First of all, 4 out of 5 assault victims know their assailant. That's 80%! If the perpetrators readily fit into an easy-to-recognize profile, far fewer attacks would occur.
from Chapter 7 - Attacker Profiles and Their Methods of Operation
Studies have shown the predator is less likely to attack a woman who moves with certainty and purpose as she walks. He is less likely to attempt entry into a home with a dog, or where he feels a second person might also reside.
from Chapter 8 - GHB the Date-Rape Drug
Some women have reported that GHB will have a soapy taste. This IS possible since solvents are used in the making of GHB. However, when properly mixed, there is no ability to detect the presence of GHB in a drink or even a glass of water. This being said, I address this for the primary reason that if a drink you have been drinking suddenly tastes "different" than it did a minute earlier or different than you know the drink should taste, DO NOT finish the drink.
from Chapter 9 - Awareness: Online Safety
Tip 5: NEVER agree to meet someone you’ve connected with online, unless you already know them. And, even if you do already know them, unless he or she is a personal acquaintance, DO NOT MEET THEM ALONE. Remember, more than 80% of all sexual assaults take place where the victim knows her assailant.
from Chapter 10 - Awareness: Parking Lots, Cars and Public Transportation
Tip 7: Have your key ready to open the door. NEVER stand next to your car searching your purse for your car keys. Robbers, car-jackers, and sexual predators all watch for this type of distraction. They wait for this moment to strike.
from Chapter 11 - Awareness: While Walking or Jogging
Tip 2: If someone attempts to start a conversation with you, tell him that you’re late to meet your boyfriend or husband. Continue walking with purpose. You can be polite, while letting him know that you’re not interested. Also, since this man does not actually know your destination, he’ll have no way of knowing if your “boyfriend” is a mere 30 feet off or a mile away. In this situation, the predator will usually keep moving, preferring to locate another victim. Do not stop walking to engage with this person. Again, even in emergency situations, most men are capable of understanding a single woman’s reluctance to assist.
from Chapter 12 - Awareness: At Bars, Clubs and Parties
Tip 4: NEVER leave your drink unattended. When getting up to dance or use the restroom, you have three options: 1) finish your drink first; 2) take it with you; or 3) abandon it. Do not drink from a glass you’ve left unattended. It only takes a split-second to pour a vial of GHB into a glass. At that point, all the predator needs to do is sit back and wait for the drug to take effect. Even when you’re just sitting and chatting, keep a napkin over your drink as an extra precaution.
from Chapter 13 - Awareness: In Your Home or Apartment
Tip 14: If you live alone and someone knocks on the door, as you approach the door, call out something like, “I’ve got it honey.” Make sure you say this loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door. This will give the person at the door the impression there’s someone else in the house. (Note: Technically you should always do this even if someone else really is home.)
from Chapter 14 - Awareness: In Offices, Elevators and Stairways
Tip 6: Upon entering an elevator, stand toward the front, as close to the control panel as possible. If something goes wrong, you can hit the alarm button or press all the buttons. Pressing all the buttons will force the elevator to stop at each floor, increasing the odds of someone entering the elevator or giving you a chance to get out.
from Chapter 15 - Awareness: On Job Interviews
Tip 6: If this is your first interview with a company and you’re called by someone saying they represent the organization and the caller tells you the meeting location has been changed, cancel the appointment. It’s very rare that a legitimate company will send you out for an audition without having first interviewed you at their own offices.
from Chapter 16 - Awareness: When Traveling
Tip 3: Don’t make online posts about the trip you’re about to leave for. If you want to post pics of your travels - - post them when you get back. “Advance notice” posts tempt stalkers to follow you and potential bad guys to attempt break-ins into homes they believe are unoccupied.
from Chapter 17 - Awareness: Online Dating
Tip 3: If a man’s dating profile pictures make him unrecognizable, I would suggest taking a pass on the profile. Dark glasses, hats, pictures taken at a distance are all signs that a guy is trying to hide something – be it that he is older than he’s claiming to be; he’s not as good looking as he used to be; or even his identity. While there could be a multitude of reasons for attempting to conceal his appearance, none of these reasons have any benefit to you.
from Chapter 18 - Awareness: Dating and Date Rape
Tip 3: Drive YOUR OWN car to the meeting place. There are several reasons for this.
- You do not yet know the guy you're meeting. Therefore you cannot know if he has a drinking problem, and you do not want to depend on a drunk driver to get you home safely.
- The guy you're meeting may turn out to be not “your type.” Therefore, having him know where you live is probably not the best idea.
- If things start to turn sour during dinner, you can leave without worrying about how you'll be getting home.
from Chapter 19 - Awareness: Thwarting an Attack
DRUGGING SCENARIO 1: You’re in a bar and are starting to feel strange. You’ve only had 1 or 2 drinks and you know you shouldn’t be feeling the way you do. DO NOT make the mistake of thinking you’ll feel better. If you’re with friends immediately tell them you think you’ve been drugged and that you need them to get you to a hospital. If you’re not with friends (real friends), find a police officer (most clubs now have on- or off-duty police officers working the front door), a bouncer or manager and tell him/her you think you may have been drugged. Whatever you do, DO NOT allow a male acquaintance, or a guy you just met, to take you home or to the hospital. This is most likely the person who drugged you.
from Chapter 20 - Awareness: You’ve Been Sexually Assaulted – What Now?
2. Don’t wait to report the crime. The more time that passes, the more evidence is destroyed and the less likely (I’m sorry to say) your story will be believed. Report the incident immediately, to the police.
If the attack took place on or near a private college campus, report the attack to BOTH campus security AND the local police department. (Public school campuses have state police officers so double reporting is not necessary.)
from Biography
Richard Hart received a degree in Criminal Science at the age of 18. At 20 he received a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley.
He spent five years with San Mateo Police Department and two years with Aid to Victims and Witnesses - both in a volunteer capacity. Richard was presented with an Outstanding Student Award for Community Service for these volunteer activities.
Since that time, Richard has spoken at various meetings on crime prevention strategies. His unique methodology of teaching and conveying information has permitted people to avoid becoming victims of rape, robbery, and other violent crimes.
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What prompted the writing of this book?
In August of 2002, 2 teenage girls were kidnapped from a “lovers’ lane” type location in a town named Lancaster (approximately 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles).
Time passed and one day a 21 year old hopeful model was kidnapped, raped and killed.
I woke up one day realizing that I had information that could have potentially thwarted both of these situations. I realized at that time that if I was not part of the solution, I was part of the problem. I sat down and wrote the book.
I was not interested in a self-defense manual for the following reasons: 1) There are more than enough of these types of books and training classes in the market today. 2) Knowledge of self-defense gives many women a false sense of security where they end up finding themselves caught in situations they may have exited or never entered had they not had self-defense training. 3) If a woman has to rely on self-defense, it is usually already too late.
I wrote a book about awareness. It is a unique one-of-a-kind writing with information found nowhere else, drawn from my years in crime prevention and observations during life. The book recently received the Grand Award Winner for writing excellence from Apex Publishing. Out of approximately 4500 books submitted for consideration, roughly 100 books in approximately 45 categories were chosen to receive this award. FURTHER, Tanya Brown, sister of Nicole Brown-Simpson, called Keep Your Daughter Safe “a must read for every young woman in America.” With these and other accolades, I am clear that a quality book has been produced that will lower the incidence of rape and sexual assault in America.
