How to avoid rape

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At Home —

• When moving into a new home or apartment, make sure all locks have been changed. This practice prevents former tenants from entering with old keys.
• Install a chain lock inside your door. Be sure that the chain is short enough to prevent an intruder from removing it and that the screws are secured into the door jamb.
• Install a peephole. A peephole device is easy to install and inexpensive.
• Install a lock and use it on every window.
• Consider installing an electronic security system in your home. Many types of burglar alarms are listed in the yellow pages.
• Consider asking the telephone company not to list your street address in the phone book. This will enable your friends to find your number and prevent unwanted visitors.
• Do not leave keys in a "secret" hiding place (i.e., under the mat, on a windowsill, in the mailbox). Much safer, leave your keys with a trusted neighbor.
• Keep house keys on a different key ring from car keys. Many successful burglars conspire with parking lot attendants to have keys duplicated while a car is parked.
• Keep your draperies and shades drawn at night, especially if your home is easily accessible from the street. If a potential assailant sees you alone, he's more likely to enter the house.
• Keep lights on in at least two rooms.
• Have doorways and driveways lit at night. Motion detector lights are very effective in startling would-be prowlers.
• If you return home to find doors or windows open or you suspect a burglary, don't go into the house — call the police from a neighbor's house.

Telephone Calls —

• Never give personal information to a caller you don't know.
• If a phone call is becoming obscene or frightening, hang up immediately.
• If the caller persists, blow a whistle loudly into the mouthpiece.
• Never give a caller a reason to suspect you are alone in the house.
• Advise the caller that this call is being monitored.
• If threatening or obscene calls persist, report them immediately to the phone company and the police department.
• Star "69" can trace the call.

On The Street —

• Be aware that walking alone at night may be dangerous.
• If you are being followed or you see a person or group further down the street who makes you feel uncomfortable, cross the street, walk in another direction, or ask other people walking if you may walk a short distance with them.
• Walk near the curb, in the middle of the street, and away from buildings, trees, and shrubbery, which can hide potential assailants.
• When walking near the car to your home or apartment, carry your house keys in your hand, not in your purse. Don’t stand in a doorway and fumble in your purse or pocket for your keys. Have them ready to use.
• Be aware, at all times, of your surroundings. Walk with your head up and a confident stride.
• Use a grocery cart when you have many packages. You make a good mark when your arms are full.
• Always dress so that movement is not restricted.
• Try to vary your routine routes of travel. Most rapists have been found to study their victim's habitual patterns.
• While waiting for public transportation, keep your back against a wall (or pole) so that you cannot be surprised from behind.
• Know your routes. Notice lighting, alleys, abandoned buildings, and street people.
• Pick out places that you consider safer, places where you can either make a stand or reassure yourself that you are not being followed or watched (i.e., lit porches, bus stops, stores, etc.).
• If you are going somewhere in a city with which you aren't familiar, check a map, know where you are going. Looking lost increases vulnerability.

Visitors, Repairmen, Deliverymen —

• When alone and answering a door ring, call out "I'll take it, Bill," or "I'll go, Tom." Make sure the call is loud and clear. Never reveal either in person or on the phone that you are alone.
• Never let small children answer the door.
• Repairmen who represent utility companies carry identification cards. If a repairman has no identification, get their name and telephone the company they claim to represent before you admit them.
• A large number of attacks occur because people allow unidentified strangers into their homes. Never say to a repairman, "Come in," then check their identification card. Make them wait outside the door until you are satisfied it is safe to let them enter.
• Many assailants gain entry into homes or apartments by pretending to be visitors, repairmen, or deliverymen. You can avoid such deceptions by installing a peephole. If you don't have a peephole, make sure your safety chain is hooked before you open your door.
• Ask any deliveryman to leave packages outside the door. Wait until you are sure they've gone away, then go for the packages.

In A Car —

• When alone in a car, keep the doors and windows locked and up. If you must keep a window open, make sure it is the one nearest to you so that you can raise it quickly if necessary. Keep windows open only enough to admit breathing space — but not to admit a hand.
• Do not travel on deserted roads, especially at night. Better to drive on a well-lit highway — even though it may take a little longer to reach your destination.
• When driving, don't let your gas indicator fall below the quarter full mark. If you feel you are being followed, head for the nearest police station, gas station, shopping center, or home with lights.
• Do not enter a car without checking to see if someone is hiding on the rear seat or on the rear floor. Do not enter a car in which a man or group is leaning or loafing. Turn around immediately and go back to safety.
• If you carry a small weapon on the front seat next to you, be sure you know how to use it and that it is easily accessible. Weapons carried in glove compartments or under seats may mean nothing if you must hastily search or struggle for them. Do not leave weapons in your car. Consider carefully what you would do if the suspect were to get a hold of your weapon. Road flares are very good weapons to keep in the car.
• If you run out of gas or have an accident, lock all doors and stay inside the car. Accept no rides from strangers — wait for the police. If a stranger wants to help, ask them to send the repair truck or police from the next exit or nearest phone.
• If you see an accident or stranded motorist, before stopping, consider that it might be a trap set by a rapist. It is probably more helpful to call 911 either on your cell phone or nearest pay phone.
• Parking lots and garages are particularly dangerous. When parking your car, note your position carefully, so that you can go directly to it. When returning to your car, look around. If you notice anything or anyone suspicious, alert the attendant.

Hitchhiking Is Never Safe —

• Try to arrange rides with friends or take public transportation whenever possible. No one deserves to be raped. You did nothing wrong. The rapist, not you, is responsible for the attack. You are the victim of a violent crime.
• Follow your intuition — trust your feelings. If you feel that a situation is not right, move out of the situation.
• Be aware of your surroundings. In social situations, including dates, be alert to places and situations that make you vulnerable.
• Develop an attitude of confidence to be a survivor.

What You Should Do If You Are Raped —

• Do nothing that will change your appearance or the appearance of the place of the rape. Do not take a bath or shower or douche. Don't even wash your hands.
• Get medical attention to check for venereal disease, internal injuries, or the possibility of pregnancy. Take a change of clothes with you to the hospital.
• Report the crime to the police. Reporting the crime allows the police to keep accurate records for future reference and will provide the necessary evidence and information needed if you later decide to testify in a criminal trial.
• As soon as possible, write as much as you can remember about your attack and the circumstances.