Friday, October 17, 2008

Statistical Reasons to Take a Women's Self-Defense Course

There are many reasons women take women's self defense courses. The motivators in many of these decisions are knowing the statistics. If women knew of the number of attacks each year on women, women's self defense course would have full attendance. Sexual assault and domestic violence is the most common types of violence that women will experience. Other assaults happen during crimes such as robberies or muggings. The assault may come from a stranger, but most of the time the violence is from a person the woman knows or from her own family.

There were almost five million acts of violence reported in the United States last year which involved women twelve years old and older. Three quarters of women who were attacked while by themselves and half of the women attacked by multiple assailants were attacked by people that they knew. Thirty percent of women who have had violence were attacked by an intimate partner like a husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend. Women are six times more likely to be attacked then men in any kind of relationship or outside of a relationship. There are more than a half million rapes in the United States a year. Out of that number, half of those were committed by family members or relatives.

Out of the sexual assault cases, over half were women and girls under the age of twenty one. Women's self defense classes and women's advocacy groups are gearing their training to meet the needs of these young girls. Most young girls that are raped also have to have psychological guidance to help them understand the trauma that they have went through. Some women's self defense instructors' work closely with these psychologist and some classes are even taught with the counselor as part of the class. The young girls who have had this done to them need to know they are not alone and that they have trust worthy adults in their life that cares for them. The emotions of a teenager run high anyway, the trauma of a sexual assault can destroy their childhood.

The incidences of sexual assault to girls under twelve years of age are in the high thousands. That is just the ones that are reported and not the ones that go unnoticed. The sad thing is that perpetrators in most cases are there brothers, fathers, or uncles. There are cases of female on female abuse, but that is even less reported. Women's self defense advocates and experts both agree that any abuse should be reported and any woman who is at danger of being assaulted or sexually molested should get out of the environment and use the skills the women's self defense course has taught her. Mother's do not be afraid to ask your daughters questions about other family members especially if you have suspicions that abuse or molestations is occurring.

Remember a women's self defense course can provide you information to help you look for red flags and ways to help your daughter understand your concerns. Statistics of abuse are reaching monumental proportions and you must be prepared to protect your family.

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