How to Stay Safe When Out at Night


Almost every day, we read in the newspaper the accounts of brutal crimes --rape, assault, murder, attacks, etc. These incidents are the exact expression of the feeling of the dominance of one person over another; to prove the male dominance over the women. Women like to remain submissive and are always unwilling to fight back, so women are supposed to be afraid. The time has come to break the image of stereotypical women. But how? Only if a woman learns how to protect herself, how to defend her from becoming the victim. We are living in such an increasingly violent society, where self-protection or self-defense remains the only possible way to sustain in such a society.

            Think about ways in which we can defend ourselves proactively against danger, risk, injury, and/or death. Specifically, safety at night is something that seems to be an issue for people from all ages and walks of life. When traveling alone at night or just being home alone, there are things you need to think about constantly in order to keep a vigilant awareness about your safety. For example, if you need to go to an ATM at night (or even during the day), try to go to an ATM in a well-lit, public place and where there is a nearby safety spot, such as police car patrol and protection. If you have to walk at night, do everything in your power not to walk alone, as being with just one other person decreases your chances of being attacked or put in harm's way. If you do end up having to walk alone, make sure you have self-defense and awareness items like pepper spray, flashlight, reflective/bright clothing, working phone with GPS, and perhaps even put 911 on speed dial in case of emergency. Also, let your family and friends know where you are going and how long it should take, so that if you don't return or respond to calls/texts by a certain time, they know you are in danger and to find out what is going on. If you ever are somewhere alone, let someone else know so that you are not the only person who knows where you are.

This all might sound like common sense, but sometimes we take these things for granted and end up in danger that could have been easily avoided had we prepared vigilantly. According to statistics released by the U.S. Department of Education in 2014, during the years 2011-2013 on U.S. college campuses, arrest rates went up consistently, showing an increased crime rate across the board. Furthermore, the reported criminal offenses across U.S. college campuses remain in the 700-800 range, meaning that almost one thousand crimes a year are reported to law enforcement, making for quite a consistent level of criminal threat. College campuses are one particularly charged arena for individual safety concerns, as college students are young, naïve, newly independent, and unable to access the same resources as adults and parents.
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