Be AWARE of your Self Defense Options!

Lyn Bates, Vice President, AWARE

All women live with a certain level of risk of violent crime. Statistics show that a woman 21 years old has a 1 in 4 chance of experiencing a violent crime in her lifetime. Clearly, every women needs to know some general techniques about how to reduce her risk ("stay alert") and how to respond if something bad happens ("fight back").

But some women are at an unusually high risk of serious assault or even murder. Just watch your local news carefully, it seems that every month or so a woman is murdered, usually by abusive ex-spouses or ex-boyfriends. Many of these tragic deaths could have been prevented.

Sometimes, violence comes despite the best possible avoidance measures, and when it does, there is often no opportunity to summon help. In those cases, a woman is forced to face her attacker alone, using only her own resources and knowledge to survive. Fortunately, women who are properly trained and confident in their ability to protect themselves can do so quite effectively. Since 1990, AWARE has been teaching women about effective self-defense options.

Every woman should have a personal protection plan, based on her own lifestyle and needs. For some women, that means carrying just pepper spray or a Persuader keychain that can be used defensively; for others, it means carrying a gun, too, and having one available at home.

AWARE advocates self-protection along a continuum of force, because different types of protection are needed for different levels of threat. One's first responsibility is to try to avoid danger by preparation and alertness. If a problem arises, one should always attempt to leave, or keep it from escalating, if possible. Only if these methods fail, or if a high level of immediate threat is posed by an assailant, is a higher level of response justified.

One former student said it best, "If we want the responsibility and right to bear arms, we should be responsible enough to be well educated." AWARE's focus is on preventing violence through education and training. The primary purpose is to provide responsible information, support, and training to women who want to learn how not to be victims.

AWARE has been called "the premier women's armed defense training organization in the Northeastern U.S." Courses include general assault prevention, the Persuader keychain, pepper spray, and firearms, ranging from the basic safety courses (required for licenses in AWARE's home state of Massachusetts) through the Responsible Use of Lethal Force and Self-Protection with Handguns or Shotguns (for those interested in self-defense) to weapon retention (for those determined to never let a gun be taken from them).

AWARE also has free safety consultation services for people who are being stalked - that's 1 million women (and 400,000 men) every year! The book Safety for Stalking Victims: How to Save Your Privacy, Your Sanity, and Your Life provides detailed information on every aspect of stalking security, and every purchase benefits AWARE.

AWARE is a non-profit, all volunteer organization, funded through donations, events, and the occasional grant.

Check out the rest of this web site. It has lots of information about various types of crimes, and about many of the common tools and techniques used to combat them, including firearms. It has safety quizzes, and an archive of success stories of women who protected themselves with guns.

Every woman deserves to be safe and secure, to be able to choose the methods of protection that suit her best, and to receive all the training that is necessary to help her participate more effectively in her own defense.