Friday, October 22, 1999
Some tips for staying safe
Advice about rape and sexual assault prevention usually focuses on how women and children can handle friends and acquaintances, because most rapes are committed by someone familiar with the victim.
But the attacks of a serial rapist are “incredibly frightening and sensational” because they fuel fears of a stranger rapist lurking in the shadows, says Mary Jo Davis, executive director of the Women's Crisis Center in Northern Kentucky.
While it's not always possible to prevent a rape or assault, she and others offer these tips for reducing risks:
• Lock the doors and windows of your home/apartment and car, even when you're inside.
• Close curtains and blinds so intruders cannot get a clear view of who or what is inside.
• Make sure security systems, dead-bolt locks and window locks work.
• Leave lights on inside the house and near every outside exit. Do not hide a house/apartment key on your property.
• Before allowing anyone to enter, make repair people, utility workers, police officers and others show proper identification by slipping it under the door. Call the number on the card to verify the person's identity before you open the door.
• Keep a cell phone next to the bed and preprogram it to call your local police agency (911 cellular calls don't always register to the proper agency).
• Don't walk or jog alone; keep keys handy when returning home.
Sources: The Planned Parenthood Women's Health Encyclopedia (Crown; $22); Women's Crisis Center; Women Helping Women.
On guard against a rapist
Some tips for staying safe
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