Defend Yourself

More safety, more confidence, more freedom, more fun!

Based in Washington, DC, serving the entire U.S.

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Strategies for safety

Walking at night, living alone … many people are afraid of being attacked in these situations. And with good reason: More than half of us will be the target of violent crime in our lifetimes. In fact, we are most vulnerable with people we know: More than 70% of attacks on women, girls, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people are by acquaintances, friends, partners (& ex-partners), and family members.

The blame for harassment, abuse, and attack always rest with the aggressor. But we can take steps to prevent and interrupt these violations. Here are five tools for safety:

1

Know what matters. Would you fight over your watch, your purse, your car? Chances of injury are high, and no property matters that much. But what about protecting yourself? Those who set limits against abuse, or resist sexual assault, are less likely to be injured.

2

Practice awareness. Notice people, their moods, their behavior. Notice how they treat you. Keep track of your environment, where the nearest way out or safe place is. If you’re distracted, or just inside your own head, you’re vulnerable to surprise. Awareness is the first line of defense.

3

Learn to say no. Attackers rarely strike out of nowhere. Usually they are someone you know, and they have pushed your limits or violated your boundaries already. If youre uncomfortable, say so.

4

Pick your friends and partners wisely. If someone puts you down, tries to control you, disregards your opinion, or refuses to take no for an answer, ditch them. These are warning signs of abuse. Take them seriously.

5

Use your tools. Even if you are small, out of shape, or have disabilities, you have options against an attacker. Yell: NO! Leave me alone! Call 911! Stomp the attackers feet, kick knees or shins, drive your knee into their groin, poke their eyes, smash their nose.

For practice on all these things, and lots more skills,take an empowerment self-defense class!

For a printable pdf of this handout, click here.

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Sign up now for the monthly newsletter and you’ll also get our e-book with stories of real-life people standing up to harassment, abuse, and assault!

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Meet Lauren

Teacher, resister, advocate, warrior princess. Passionate about a world free of gender-based violence and people becoming their full selves. Loves chocolate, justice, and cats (not necessarily in that order).

Click here to find out more!

Classes for everyone

Defend Yourself has classes for everyone, no matter what your age or ability. Whether you're dealing with street harassment, going off to college, healing from abuse, or any other challenge, we offer skills you can use.

Click here to see some of what we offer!

National Street Harassment Hotline

Call toll-free: 855-897-5910
(English + Spanish. 24-7)
Find out more!

More safety, more confidence, more freedom, more fun!

Get our newsletter!

Sign up now for our monthly newsletter and you’ll also get our e-book with stories of real-life people standing up to harassment, abuse, and assault!

Read our latest newsletter here
 

Head

Learn something now

  • Run,Yell,Tell, Hit, + Go Along
  • My journey to assertiveness
  • Strategies for safety
  • Should I yell FIRE!?!?
  • #9 Making self-defense a part of your life
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What people say

The teachers role-modeled being strong women.
Lauren is very encouraging and patient. An excellent teacher, she makes everyone feel comfortable.
To my surprise, I found the verbal parts of the class the most beneficial. Instead of just preparing us for the chance of an all-out attack, we learned skills that have been helping me to navigate more assertively through everyday situations. You helped all of us to view self-defense holistically, and asked us to question our role in making this world less violent.
This class has given me a powerful toolkit and the confidence to yell “NO” and know I have every right to say it. It’s helped me rethink my personal boundaries and feel good about maintaining them.
Bothering leads to dangerous things and situations if we aren’t careful. We want to try to stop the situation before it gets really dangerous+ACE There are bullies that can start at just being annoying by talking and saying those mean things but it can turn into something very dangerous if you are not careful. So the key is to be very smart and think before you ac– from the book by our students at Jump Start Girls/Adelante Nias
I wish other women/girls could experience THIS feeling of girrrrlpower, instead of listening to Cosmo and Glamour to tell them where their power lies.
This class opened a door for me that I didn’t know existed. I know exactly what I would do if I needed to. It was the first time in my life that I felt that. Even if something happened, I would still feel safe in myself.
Thank you for a wonderful class. I will spread the word around my high school and to every interested girl/woman I know!
What an empowering, enlightening class! You gave me a wonderfully empowering gift – the ability to speak! You helped take away some of the fear that I had by having me realize that I have some power within.
This class showed me that . . . I have every right to defend myself and take care of myself the best way I know how. My first responsibility is to myself.
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Based in Washington, D.C., serving the world

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