Sexual Harassment & Rape Prevention

In today's society, women may find themselves in situations where individuals will take advantage of what appears to be easy prey. Women have been, and will probably continue to be, victims of a variety of social and criminal injustices.

In a 1991 report released by the United States Department of Justice Statistics, 2.3 million women in the United States reported sexual assaults between 1973 and 1987. Of these victims, 71% avoided being raped by taking self-protection measures. In 1988, sexual assault victims took self-protection measures in 86.7% of the cases. The strategy used most often was a combination of screaming and physical resistance. Women who made absolutely no attempt to resist were all raped. In most cases, resistance in some form is the most viable option.

The Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention (S.H.A.R.P.) course is designed to address the issues and management techniques surrounding professional harassment, personal harassment, and prevention methods to avoid a criminal sexual assault. The course is designed for females of all ages and parents of young females as well as spouses are encouraged to attend. This eight-hour course is divided into three main areas:

• Prevention psychology
• Managing social or professional physical harassment
• Sexual assault countermeasures

The area of prevention psychology covers personality profiles of women and how a particular type of personality (passive vs. assertive) may target a woman for assault. An assailant will most likely target what he perceives as "easy prey". By becoming aware of your personality type and your possible psychological reaction to a threat, you will be better prepared to react effectively.

Practical ideas for managing social or professional physical harassment will be covered in the second portion of the course. These are "low-level" measures to counteract threatening behavior in social or professional situations to prevent an escalation of events. The third area covered in the S.H.A.R.P. course deals with specific sexual assault countermeasures. This section profiles the potential offender, gives ideas for positive attitude projections and body language, offers tips to reduce reaction time, and covers verbal responses to potential assaults. Physical responses to potential and actual assaults will also be addressed. Ample opportunities will be provided for hands-on practice of techniques presented in the course.

While no course can guarantee that a woman will never become a victim of abuse or assault, statistics prove that the more knowledgeable and prepared a woman is regarding these issues, the more likely she will be able to successfully prevent or survive an attack. The S.H.A.R.P. course is designed to give women effective strategies for managing potential and actual verbal and physical assaults. The ultimate outcome will be to empower a woman and develop her ability to confidently and safely negotiate her way through life.

Course instructor, Skip Alwes, is an officer with the Blue Springs Police Department. He is also an instructor at the Western Missouri Regional Police Academy with expertise in defense tactics. Officer Alwes is a certified instructor in the S.H.A.R.P. program. Call the Neighborhood Watch office at 816 325-7269 to register for this informative class.