Women
attack fear with self defense
By Laurisa Franklin
On-line Forty-Niner
According
to Cal State Long Beach University Police
crime reports, six women were attacked between
1998 and 2000 on campus.
According to the Women’s Self-Defense Center,
a woman is attacked every 3 minutes and
25 percent of girls in the United States
will be sexually assaulted by the age of
18.
CSULB and the city of Long Beach each hold
different programs and seminars throughout
the year to help teach women self defense
tactics and make them more aware of their
surroundings.
“It is important for women to be aware of
their surroundings,” said University Police
Sgt. Bonnie Myers. “We want women to have
training options in different self defense
tactics.”
University Police offers Rape Aggression
Defense workshops throughout the semester. The
classes are held Tuesday from 5:30 to 8:30
p.m. All instructors are police professionals.
For more information students can contact
Myers by e-mail at bmyers@csulb.edu.
“The workshops are great hands on experience
that allows women to test their abilities
to scare off an offender,” Myers said.
In an effort to empower and educate women,
the Women’s Resource Center will hold a
self-defense workshop every semester starting
Sept. 30.
The workshops are designed to prepare women
to become aware of their environment to
prevent and protect themselves from violence
and sexual assault.
“We want to take away the fear that women
have,” said Lynne Coenen, assistant director
of the Woman’s Resource Center. “The workshop
allows women the chance to actually practice
being proactive in keeping themselves safe.”
The women will learn and practice simple,
yet effective physical techniques in order
to defend themselves during an attack. The
workshop will run from 6:30 to10 p.m. in
PE1-064.
The Woman’s Resource Center also offers
referrals for on and off campus counseling
in different areas of assault.
“Most sexual assaults are by someone the
victim knows,” Coenen said, “Date rape is
just as serious as any other.”
Other self-defense classes are offered on-campus
and throughout the community to help keep
women safe.
Hours for escort service on campus are Monday
through Thursday 5 to 11:45 p.m. The hours
vary Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Students
requiring an escort after these hours should
contact the University Police and an officer
will escort students to their vehicle or
residential hall.
|
