This was taken from: http://magazine.goodvibes.com/2009/10/12/sexual-assault-prevention-tips-guaranteed-to-work/ By Dr. Charlie Glickman
Hey it’s Shannon with a re-post but a very well-deserved one so I get a pass! When I first heard the title of this article I was instantly pissed. NOBODY should be taught how NOT to be violated. It is not your problem that someone else does not understand human respect and the word NO. But after the first tip, my tune changed. Read on and you’ll see why:
1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.
2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!
3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!
4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.
5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!
6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.
7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.
8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.
9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!
10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.
And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn’t ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are committing a crime–no matter how “into it” others appear to be.
When discussing tips for preventing sexual assault, almost all of the ideas are about changing people’s behavior so they won’t get attacked. Don’t walk home alone. Make sure you keep an eye on your drink to make sure nobody puts drugs in it. And those sorts of tips, while helpful at reducing risk, don’t place any responsibility on the people who are committing sexual assault, which really limits how effective they are on a larger scale.
So I’m really glad that somebody has put together a list of suggestions that are guaranteed to end sexual assault, if we can all stick to them.
5 Responses
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
I think it’s pretty silly sounding for tips to end with “Don’t Assault them!” or “Remember not to assault them.” Or if you think your going to assault someone blow the whistle. Seems like the roles are reversed.
It could’ve been phrased a lot better. Most of the tips are for the perpetrators rather than the victims.
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Michael, I think that’s the point. The second-to-last paragraph states it best: “And [tips for preventing sexual assault], while helpful at reducing risk, don’t place any responsibility on the people who are committing sexual assault, which really limits how effective they are on a larger scale.”
Great re-post. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with re-posting a topic if it’s relevant and properly credited!
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
o wow that was a pretty clever way of putting it. i almost wanna say it was funny but theres nothing funny bout sexual assault. This truly is the way to stop sexual assault.
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:03 am
Numbers 8 and 10 are my favourites!
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:19 am
It’s a play on the title, most times u hear tips for NOT being assaulted but this is taking the side of the victim and saying it’s not your concern NOT to be assaulted, it’s people who assault who should b taking precautions!
I think the list is funny b/c it shows how ridiculous violating someone’s answer is. Like we learn this at age 2 – no means no! People who don’t understand that need to be spoken to like babies
For that reason I love #9
Thanks Kathryn, I like this re-post 2