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

      2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for
      women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry
      scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

      3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through
      their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they
      are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.

      4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning,
      between 5: 00 a.m. and 8:30a.m.

      5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery
      store parking lots. The number two: office parking lots/garages.
      Number three: public restrooms.

      6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a
      woman and quickly move her to another location where they don’t have
      to worry about getting caught.

      7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year
      sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

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

      Keys are NOT a deterrent because you have to get really close to the
      attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these
      guys you’re not worth it.

      10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is
      following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in a
      elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a
      question, like what time is it?, or make general small talk: ‘I
      can’t believe it is so cold out here,’ ‘We’re in for a bad winter.’
      Now you’ve seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you
      lose appeal as a target.

      11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of
      you and yell STOP or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked
      to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she
      would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an
      EASY target.

      12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate
      of it and carries it with him wherever he goes), yell I HAVE PEPPER
      SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

      13) If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you
      can 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 in the upper inner thigh VERY, VERY HARD.  One woman in
      a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a
      guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke
      through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed
      stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can
      stand it - it hurts.

      14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a
      particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it
      is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and
      make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
      instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of
      trouble. Start causing trouble and he’s out of there.

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

      16) Of course the things we always hear still apply.
      Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you
      can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it; go with your
      instincts!!!

      You may feel a little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse
      if the guy really was trouble.

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

      2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans: If a robber
      asks for your 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 than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse.
      RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

      3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back
      tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like
      crazy. The driver 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 perfect opportunity for him to get in on the
      passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS
      SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

      a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE
      OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF!  Instead gun the engine and speed into
      anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the
      person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as
      the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find
      your body in a remote location.

      5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or
      parking garage:

      A.) Be aware: look around you; look into your car, at the passenger
      side floor, and in the back seat.

      B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the
      passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling
      them into their vans 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
      the passenger 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 a
      guard/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 are
      horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.
      This is especially true at NIGHT!)

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

      8. as women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may
      get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a
      good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies
      of unsuspecting women?  He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often
      asked ‘for help’ into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when
      he abducted his next victim.

      9.  Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard
      a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the
      police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police
      told her ‘Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’

      The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a
      window, and she was worried t hat it would crawl to the street and
      get run over. The policeman said, we already have a unit on the
      way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’ He told her that they
      think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax
      women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby.
      He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by
      women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when
      they’re home alone at night.

      Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby —
      This should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was
      mentioned on America’s Most Wanted this past Saturday when they
      profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

      I’d like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save
      a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was
      going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your
      mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it
      onto them, as well.