LIFESTYLE NEWS - The recent Stats SA report showed that although South Africa’s murder rate has declined between 2000 and 2015, it has been on a steady rise for women, with an increase of 117% between 2015 and 2017.
Another concerning factor is the number of women who became victims of sexual abuse, which more than doubled in 2016/2017.
Here are some important safety hacks every woman should know to protect themselves.
1. Always find the light
If you ever have to stop and park somewhere at night especially in the city, always park near a bank, shop or restaurant because these places will always be lit up and there are most likely have security cameras around.
2. Create a detour for stalkers
If you ever suspect that someone is following you while driving in your car or walking, take four right turns. This will create a circle and if they are still behind you, they are following you. Begin to dial your emergency contact or run into a place of safety or crowded place.
3. Bananas can help bruises
Holding a banana peel over a bruise for ten to 30 minutes will almost completely remove its colour. Make sure that if the bruise is from an attack and not an accident, report the crime to the police before you start treating the bruise.
4. Know the basics of self-defense
If you ever find yourself in an attack, always have keys in your hands and with a hit to the solar plexus, you can knock the wind out of your attacker giving you an upper hand or time to flee. If that doesn’t work, a groin kick should paralyse your attacker for a bit giving you time to flee.
5. Make sure you have pepper spray or a taser handy
It is always better to have some kind of defense mechanism than not in case you find you yourself in an unsafe situation so pepper spray and/or taser should always come in handy. Studies have shown if you put up some kind of initial fight, it takes about two minutes for predators to be discouraged and realise it’s not worth it because it could be time-consuming and increase their chances of getting caught. It’s important to react appropriately depending on the type of situation you are in.
