Rape

Resistance is not Futile

Immediate and aggressive responses, including fighting back, are effective against rape. Conversely pleading, reasoning, or appealing to a rapist’s humanity is not—the latter being "almost universally futile," notes Dr. Judith Herman, foremost authority on trauma and author of the best-selling book Trauma and Recovery.

By not resisting rape, women may be putting themselves at greater risk," says Sarah Ullman, assistant professor from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Of course fighting carries risks, but Ullman’s research on resistance strategies concluded that a woman’s "level of physical injury is mainly determined by the offender’s use of violence" and initial blows struck, not because she fought back. As stated by Ambrose Redmoon, "Only an enemy can initiate a warrior." "The women who fought to the best of their abilities were not only more likely to be successful in thwarting the rape attempt, but less likely to suffer severe distress symptoms," wrote Herman. "By contrast, women who submitted without a struggle were more likely to be highly self critical and depressed in the aftermath."  

To effectively defend against a rapist, decide that your will not be raped and not be immobilized by fear of injury. "If what you fear more than anything else is injury," says survival expert Sanford Strong, "you will not have the determination to escape an attack. You will believe all the criminal’s promises and never notice fleeting opportunities." A rapist can use a woman’s terror to gain compliance and render her powerless. The woman must channel her fear to turn the rapist’s weapons of intimidation back onto him and commence a merciless counterattack.