How To Protect Yourself Against Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is any unwanted, nonconsensual, forced sexual contact or activity which purpose is to control and/or humiliate another person. It can include acts of touching, kissing exhibitionism, and intercourse — anal, vaginal or oral.

There are ways you can help prevent a sexual assault. According to the New York Police Detective Bureau, this includes being alert to your surroundings. Know the location, street name, surrounding buildings, in case it becomes necessary for you to call 911. Listen to your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable or in danger in any given situation, leave immediately.

Learn to be observant of people around you. What color eyes do they have? What are they wearing? Notice their teeth, tattoos, their size, hairstyle, or any other distinguishable features. All these will help you in the event it becomes necessary to contact the police.

Making Your Home Safe

Avoid sleeping with your windows open.

Have peep holes on your doors and use them. If you do not recognize who is at your door, do not open it, even with the chain on. Most chain locks can easily be kicked in.

Do not open the door to service people unless you are expecting them. Call their employer and verify their identity and the reason they need to enter your home.

If a stranger asks to use your phone, do not let the person enter. Offer to make the call for them.

Do not buzz someone into the building or hold the lobby door open unless you know the person.

Have the number to 911 programmed into your telephone.

Be mentally prepared of the possibility of being attacked and what possible actions you would take if confronted.

Install safety approved gates or bars on windows that can be reached from fire escapes on from the ground floor.

In your home or apartment, you will also want to make sure your entrance is well lit. Install security lights in areas where people can hide. Keep your doors locked and blinds pulled. Do not advertise your full name in the phone book on the mailbox. Your initials and last name are all that is needed. Invest in a paper shredder and shred any personal identifying envelopes or papers.

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Study: 1 in 3 South African Men Admits to Committing Rape

A study commissioned by the Medical Research Foundation, a group funded by the South African government, has yielded some disturbing findings about violence against women. According to the study, one in three men in Johannesburg has committed rape at some point. Roughly 7 percent of the men sampled admitted to participating in a gang rape.

The study also found that more than 51 percent of the 511 women surveyed had been victims of violence from men. Also, 78 percent of men admitted to committing a violent act against a woman. One-fourth of the women in the survey said that they'd been raped, but only about 4 percent of these rapes are reported to police.

These findings are similar to a 2008 study that found that 28 percent of the men in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces had committed rape against a woman or girl. One-third of the men said they did not feel guilty for what they'd done. Two-thirds of the men claimed to have committed rape out of a sense of entitlement, and others raped out of boredom or a desire to punish women who'd rejected them.

The study's author, Rachel Jewkes, said that apartheid may have played a role in creating a culture in which violence against women has been trivialized.

"Apartheid has contributed to culture of impunity surrounding rape in South Africa," said Jewkes, who added that men who experienced trauma or were abused were more likely to commit rape than other men.

Jewke's remarks about the impact of apartheid on violent behavior obviously makes me think about the United States of America. Americanized apartheid, in which a black underclass was created via oppressive forces, also fostered a culture in which women are consistently disrespected in media, treated as sex objects and forced to endure unreported acts of violence.

In fact, an older black man once laid it out to me in simple terms, explaining why his father had 20 children with more than 12 different women. He said, "When you would go out and get treated like sh*t all day, the only power that a man had was his d*ck." While the man's actions were not based on violence, this form of sexual decision making is likely linked to counterproductive responses to an oppressive environment. It is up to all of us to take the time to educate our sons and daughters about violence against women and sexual responsibility. South Africa is not the only place where people hurt one another.

One interesting case in which the life of a young black woman was disrespected was the trial against R&B singer R. Kelly. Despite the fact that quite a few people believed that Kelly was the man on tape having sex with a young girl, much of the black community continued to buy his albums without regard or concern for the young woman he may have raped. I was incredibly disappointed in many of my female friends, who seemed to feel that the little girl was asking for it, or that the quality of Kelly's voice mattered more than the fact that he might be hurting young girls. In fact, it actually sickened me.

We can all learn something from this study. As far as South Africa goes, I sincerely hope there are significant adjustments to the sexual culture of a nation where the government has denied the impact of HIV for a long time. There are nearly 6 million people in South Africa living with HIV or AIDS (more than any other country in the world), and more than 300,000 South Africans are believed to have died of AIDS-related illnesses in the last year alone. When the promotion of sexual ignorance is combined with unaddressed violence against women, you have a recipe for national disaster. The government had better deal with this issue soon.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy.  

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