Media and self-defense

Women's self-defense
Illustration - from Flickr.com

Meg Stone has a precise and very true observation in jamaicaplaingazette.com about how the media seems to ignore - or at least appears to underplay - a very important fact about women and self-defense actions.

Stone has the same experience as yours truly - it is proven countless of times, and beyond a shadow of a doubt how women are capable of defending themselves in situations where the attacker is male and very likely much stronger. In fact there are several thousands (and growing) cases being documented: Women Can.

By failing to focus on the facts of the matter, it may be that men as well as women may think that your only viable option is to get help from the authorities/police, a male companion, or begin carrying a gun for protection. Now, there is probably nothing wrong with being able to trust in outside help, as long as you don't take away the individual's trust in herself and her own abilities before anything else!

A sad but rather obvious fact is that you will often times be alone, and that you will need to stand your own ground. Any help will many times come in after the fact - or in addition to your own self-defense maneuvers.

A closer reading of the article reveals that this woman successfully defended herself by using her voice and shining a flashlight in the would-be assailant's face. In response to her actions, the assailant fled, but not before she got a physical description, which she gave to the police. Most importantly, this woman's bravery and fast thinking kept her from sustaining serious injuries. Unfortunately, this woman's successful self-protective actions are nowhere to be found in the Gazette's headline or the opening paragraph of the article.

In the above article, the author makes a reference to the National Crime Victimization Survey. It's undoubtedly a good idea to read it and make up your own mind.

In any case, the author makes a very good point in my opinion, and you should definitely give it a read. I'm also curious as to what your perspective is on this issue. Feel free to post below, re-tweet or post to Facebook!

Stockholm stats

A recent report from the 'Center for Public Health' shows that there was 6800 cases of assault on women reported to police in Stockholm during 2006 (in average 19 cases per day). There was 1178 rapes, on average 3 reports per day.

Two thirds of the women was subject to assault indoor, often by a spouse or family member. Karen Leander (who wrote the report) criticise the media for giving a false image of violence towards women. Media tend to spread the idea that women are being assaulted and raped by strangers, outside in the dark, she says.

She goes on to state that even rapes and assaults outdoors are, for a major part, being carried out by someone the victim knows.

Hazards at work, 31

A French television host, accused of attacking and sexually harassing Air France cabin staff while under the influence of alcohol, will appear in court next month, a court official said on Monday.

The man was detained on Sunday after returning from a visit to South Africa. According to French media, witnesses said he insulted cabin staff on board an Air France flight to South Africa on February 13, fondled a fellow passenger and slapped an air steward who tried to prevent him from drinking.

He was forcibly restrained, finishing the flight tied to his seat, media said, and cabin staff filed charges against him.

Source

Very, very scary

Yes, the Austrian story about the kidnapping and escape of Natascha Kampusch is both fascinating and to some extent scary.
Now there are even rumors that her mother sold her to the guy!
But come on ... Girls becoming scared to go out after dark? It seems like all of a sudden it has become so much more dangerous to move around?
It could be wise some times to stop and reflect for a couple of minutes before running wild with a "media emotion". Like the simple fact that this tragic incident happened years ago.
What is "very, very scary" is the way that people let media influence their thoughts and behaviors, and how we so easily stop being rational about real and perceived dangers.

Story:
The dramatic escape of an 18-year-old Austrian girl after being held in an underground cell for eight years has had a profound impact in this otherwise safe city with many of its citizens, including Indians, scared to go out after dark.

Indians, particularly young girls, say the shocking tale that hogged international headlines earlier this month has scared them so much that many dare not go out of the house after dusk.

"After watching television reports on the Kampusch story, I am really scared to get out of the house. It is very, very scary," said Jasmin Perumadan, a business administration student at Vienna University.

Source

The typical victim

Here's more about the highly interesting study by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (USA):

Story:
The assailant put a towel over her face. She screamed for help. "Shut up! Shut up!" he ordered. "I have a knife. I'll stab you."

"He was trying to force me to walk with him, but I kept fighting him," says Stephanie, then 14. Two men working nearby heard her yell and ran to help.

Stephanie's case fits the pattern of most attempted abductions, according to a study released today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The typical victim is a teenage girl on her way to or from school.

The study, released as a new school year gets underway, examined 403 attempted kidnappings by strangers or slight acquaintances that were reported by police or news media in 45 states from February 2005 to July 2006. It was conducted to learn how such attempts are foiled. The study did not look at successful abductions.

Source

A Bobbitt

Unfortunately for the woman, this is Saudi Arabia, and she will no doubt face a harsh punishment for her "crime".

Story:
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Surgeons have re-attached the penis of a Saudi man who paid the price for trying to have sex with his Filipino maid and she attacked him with a knife, a hospital source said on Monday.

Earlier this month newspapers reported that the maid removed her employer's manhood when he tried to molest her in the middle of the night as his wife was sleeping. The maid is now in police custody.

Source

Karate chop and abdominal block

Yoga instructor shows women path to self-defense.

With her purple hair and tie-dye T-shirt, Linda Lutz is one tough woman.

The two-hour, 15-minute presentation at the children's emergency shelter and advocacy center taught participants the proper karate chop and abdominal block as well as how to yell from the diaphragm and feel empowered.

Source

Teaching self-defense = good.
The rest of this...
I'm not quite sure what to say really.
By all means - it may be the press making a total muck-up of things. Wouldn't be the first thing that happened!

He gave up

TV2 East in Denmark reports about a 21-year-old woman who was on her way from a disco to a pizzeria in Nykoebing, Falster.

At about 1:25 a.m. she was accosted by an unknown man, approximately 25 years old, 185-190 cm tall, and of muscular build.

The man grabbed the young woman and forced her into a nearby gate, threatening her with a knife.

However, the man couldn't get her belt to open, forcing him to give up his ill intent. The assailant then fled from the scene.

The news states nothing to the fact, but this may be a belt-buckle invented by a young, Swedish female named Nadja Bjork.

As previously noted in 2005, she designed a belt-buckle that, according to reports, can prevent rapes.

Allegedly this design has already prevented one girl from being raped at a music festival in the summer of 2005 in Sweden (Hultsfredsfestivalen). The attacker gave up when he couldn't open the belt.

In an interview with the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Bjork claimed that the buckle work much like a chastity belt. The belt-buckle sits on top of the regular buckle, and that it takes a special two-handed grip to remove it. Since an attacker will need both hands to attempt to remove the lock, it gives the victim more time and room to escape (or fight back) and get help.

Bjork states that the buckle is designed to prevent or hinder a blitz-rape where a victim is attacked by a stranger, and that it will be of little use towards pre-planned attacks (partner rapes, date rapes or acquaintance rapes).

She said to the media that the invention hopefully will be in production spring 2006.

A proud mother

And we wonder how someone end up violent and abusive...?
Oh, and please don't go to hard on this poor kid, I'm sure she was only defending herself against brutal police, media and judges.

Read this story, it's funny, but at the same time scary!

14-year-old Leanne Black, up in court in Newbury, Berkshire, over her second drink-driving offence (the first occurred when she was 12), arrived at court and threw eggs at the media and then went completely doolally when told she would be serving four months in a secure training unit, followed by four months under supervision in the community.

Leaping out of the dock she punched Lesley Gilmore, the prosecutor, in the back, threw a jug of water over the magistrates and their clerk, kicked furniture as she ran around probation officers, swept effects off desks and onto the ground, and screamed abuse at the top of her voice until she was dragged off.

Outside court Black’s mother Nora, who has six other children, flashed her considerable backside at photographers, yelling: “Go on then, film this.”

Speaking about her daughter, who has repeatedly been up on charges of burglary, criminal damage, harassment and breaching a curfew, Nora said, “I’m proud of her”, adding that Leanne was “posh” and would make somebody a lovely wife.

Source

Attacking the press

Attacking the press with words? Sure, be my guest!

But, please, leave any other means out!
Anyone doing their job like it's supposed to be carried out, should never have to deal with threats, intimidation, harassments or physical violence.

You may be provoked, you may disagree, you may be angry, you may be under influence, confused, bitter, out of bounds and hateful. But that is never, ever an excuse for violence of any kind.

Excuses are for losers anyhow.

Source

More "stunning" self-defense

This story is a confirmation of something I already knew after working in a security psychiatric ward: That there are some strange individuals out there.

It also taught me that I'm far crazier than I thought, but that's an issue for another day :-)

Anyhow, in this scenario we have a couple of issues. One is that we either have a really violent husband using a 600,000 volt stun-gun - or a drunk wife that obviously scares her man. Possibly both.

Personally I'll go along with the court that sentenced the man to 40 years in jail.

On a side note, I've learned never to trust a media report 100%.

Another issue is that when you have weapons lying around, it's easy to use them. I've seen it time and time again: people will grab anything - premeditated or not - and use it in a fight. Stones, sticks, knives, bottles, guns, road-signs, forks, ashtrays, TV-sets, lampshades, glasses, tables, chairs... You name it!

Many people arm themselves with things such as knives for "self-defense" and end up being convicted for using it (or carrying it). If your an adult who are trained in it's use, prepared for the consequences and risks involved, and who's allowed to carry it - by all means go ahead. If not - don't! Things escalate very, very fast...