How To Identify a Rapist
By DiAnn Lanke Stasik 04/09/04

Life would sure be a lot easier and safer if we had an accurate profile of a rapist. Unfortunately these criminals come in all shapes, sizes and colors. It is true that a rapist usually picks his victim from the opposite sex and same ethnic origin. In fact, more than 90% of all rapes occur in the same race and socio-economic class. However, this is not always the case. It is also true that rape is a crime about power, the over-powerment of the victim and that sex is the means by which the criminal attains his goal. But these facts don’t help us identify a rapist. So how can we identify a rapist?

There are two commonalities amongst rapist: (1) They are afraid of detection and (2) They are afraid of rejection. The first characteristic – the fear of detection – may appear to be common sense but none-the-less deserves further elaboration. Rapists stalk their victims so that they can determine the time and location of their attack. They will choose a time when there is not much activity and few others will be near. This is done in order to reduce the chance of being seen and reduce the number of people who could identify him. This is also done to prevent someone else from being called in to help the victim. Besides stalking, a rapist often commits his crime on his turf – his apartment or home, his car or some pre-selected location chosen out of his fear of detection. In fact, more than 50% of acquaintance rapes occurred on the man’s turf.

Fear of rejection is the second characteristic. Just think of the number of rapes that could have been avoided if the attacker was able to take “NO!” for an answer!! Perhaps, the scary statistic of one out of four women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime would change to one out of ten or twenty or even one hundred it he could take “NO!” for an answer. If this scaredy cat of a person could achieve his goal in a normal, respectable way then he would not have to resort to criminal behavior to avoid rejection. Unfortunately, victims of sexual abuse sustained an increased amount of physical injury if they pleaded, cried or tried reasoning.

So what do we do? Regarding the rapists’ detection fear you need to avoid being isolated. Make sure that others know what you are doing, where you are and when you will return. Use the “buddy system” and escort each other to your vehicles. Park in a well lighted area. Try to appear strong, assertive, confident, aware and secure with your surroundings. If an assault attempt is initiated, scream loudly and/or blow a whistle. Also, begin reciting out loud physical features of the attacker. Describe him in detail so that he knows you can identify him and to help ingrain those details into your head. And by all means avoid being removed from the location where you currently are. Make your current location your turf. Trust your intuition. If a particular situation makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, choose an alternative. Ask or call for help. If you find yourself on his turf and you have a feeling that things could get worse prepare for legal recourse by planting physical evidence that you were there. For example, leave physical evidence, your fingerprints or strands of hair, in an obscure location that will not be easily cleaned (behind the toilet, on a door hinge or light fixture, on a hard to reach portion of a mirror).

Since we know that the criminal can’t take “No!” for an answer, the two real reasons for shouting “NO!” is not to persuade him to listen to you but (1) to call attention to yourself and (2) as a legal defense if needed in the future. Approximately 50% of women escape attempted sexual assaults if they yell and approximately 85% of women escape attempted sexual assaults if they vigorously and quickly resist physically. Numerous studies have shown that people (especially women) who respond to the situation quickly and actively resist the attacker are more likely to avoid being raped than those who exhibit either passive behavior or no resistance.

There is a silver lining though – you can learn to protect yourself. If I could place a bet on the following statement I would: as the number of women who can protect themselves increases the number of sexual assaults will decrease. Learn the basics of self defense. Know vulnerable targets of the assailant - eyes, nose, throat, stomach, kneecaps and other joints – and how to effectively strike them. Learn how to carry items that could potentially be used as weapons (for example, a roll of coins, an umbrella or a cane, a spray bottle filled with ammonia, or a cigarette lighter). And last but not least, if you see a TV program or movie that reinforces sexual stereotypes and sends the message that women really like to be raped, protest - write to the station, the studio, or the sponsors. On the other side, publicly commend the media when they do a great job in depicting the realities of rape.

DiAnn Stasik is founder and manager of W.O.W. (Women Only Workout, LLC), which offers fitness classes and self defense for women courses. She has been teaching women self defense for eight years and has been involved in martial arts for over 12 years. Visit www.womenselfdefense.net. Her website includes a complete listing of recommended books. DiAnn is a Cooper Institute Certified Physical Fitness Specialist, NDEITA Certified Group Fitness Instructor, American Taekwondo Association Registered Black Belt, Research Assistant for The Institute for Human Factors, American Women's Self Defense Association (AWSDA) 2003 Seminar Instructor, and AWSDA Certified Rape Prevention Instructor. Contact her at P.O. Box 13, Greendale WI 53129, e-mail safechi@womenselfdefense.net or call (414) 423-4356.
Copyright © 2004 DiAnn Lanke Stasik

REFERENCES

Bureau of Justice Statistics www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs

Confronting Rape and Sexual Assault (Worlds of Women (Paper), No 3) by Mary E. Odem (Editor), Jody Clay-Warner (Editor) (Scholarly Resources)

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker (Little, Brown and Co.)

Human Sexuality by Wm. Masters & V. Johnson (Addison Wesley Educational Publications, Inc.)

Rape and Society: Readings on the Problem of Sexual Assault by Patricia Searles (Editor), Ronald J. Berger (Editor), Ron Berger (Editor) (Crime & Society Series)

Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women's Self-Defense by Martha McCaughey (New York University Press)

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