Defense Classes Be Taught As A Preventive Measure Against Rape?

Should self-defense classes be taught as a preventive measure against rape to female high school students? As a woman at the age of nineteen, I believe they should. Not only would the classes teach women and men how to defend themselves, but also the appropriate time to defend herself.

In 2004, the Coppell Police Department in Texas created a self-defense program for high school senior girls. In this program, the seniors learn to become aware of possible dangerous situations, to react appropriately to those situations, and to be empowered to fight back. Ten years later, the program is still going strong. The police department believes that giving the seniors the proper skills and techniques for defending themselves can help them become more comfortable and confident in a potentially dangerous circumstance (City of Coppell, n.d.). In 2008, Penn Manor High School introduced

One in six women are raped in their lifetime, 44% before the age of eighteen and 80% before the age of thirty. (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, n.d.) Teaching women to fight back, to understand, and to learn how and when is important. If any form of self- defense can reduce your risk of rape by 80% (NIJ, 2008), then shouldn’t women learn correct self- defense tactics? Also, if 44% of rapes happen before a women turns eighteen (RAINN, n.d.), then women should be learning before the situation of rape happens, not after. In addition, some people do not have the knowledge of where to find a self-defense class as well as additional time and money after school. Adding self-defense classes may not guarantee that rape or sexual assault does not happen, but the classes could empower and give the female students the confidence to do everything in their power to fight back. I know that if I had had the opportunity to take a self-defense class in high school, I would