Winter seemed to last forever. It was a brutal season for many people around the country with record snowfalls in the east, southeast and northern states. Temperatures in many parts of the country hit all-time lows. The general malaise created by the weather caused countless cases of "cabin fever". As temperatures heat up, so does the desire to get out and about. People of all ages return to the great outdoors and resume activities like running, walking and biking. With this new found freedom comes the reality that danger could...

If you could choose one weapon for self-defense, which would it be? For women the ability to defend themselves from a distance is very appealing. Most pepper sprays have a range of at least 8 feet some as high as 18 feet. Women have more opportunities to use a self-defense weapon because they are assaulted nine times more often than men. And if you need any more convincing consider this. Every law enforcement officer in the country carries a pepper spray on his utility belt. It is a key component...

This is a story from Reuters news service about campus Sexual Assaults and how the White House is pressing U.S. Colleges and Universities to do more to curb these assaults. Part of the national effort is to establish new website NotAlone.gov to help victims find resources and report crimes. This comes after a three-month study on how to curb sexual assaults on college campuses. "Colleges and universities need to face the facts about sexual assault. No more turning a blind eye or pretending it doesn't exist," Vice President Joe Biden...

Here is a valuable safety tip from ABC's Good Morning America on how to avoid Pickpockets. "It can happen in a split second. A shopper leaves a purse open in a shopping cart and turns away for a moment, perhaps to browse the shelves or try a free sample, or maybe she's distracted by her phone, but that's all a pickpocket needs to reach into her purse and snag her wallet. The distracted, rushed world we live in makes shoppers easy prey, said Bob Arno, an expert in pickpocketing who...

Here's another story about how state legislators in Connecticut are trying to curtail campus sexual assaults. You can read the whole story HERE. The bill requires institutions to permit anonymous reporting of assaults, promote bystander intervention, establish resource teams to review policies and create links with local crisis centers. There's a lot of frustration on college campuses about what appears to be the lack of support from state legislators on this issue. "There is a lot more that needs to be done, but it needs to be done by faculty,...

A recent study conducted by the American Psychological Association contradicted stereotypes that domestic violence is more prevalent in low-income or minority households. You can read the whole story HERE. Basically it showed violent incidents crossed economic lines with near equal percentages in all income brackets. Families of all races and ethnicities were also affected and three of every four perpetrators were male. “Family violence definitely cuts across all society’s segments and income levels and has a serious impact on children, the nationwide study indicates. "The study interviewed children who had...

Here is an interesting story and video about a self-defense instructor who teaches Assault Avoidance Tips. The main thing that he teaches women in his class is to act fast not think. The reason for this is simple: when you're in a life or death situation, reaction times are critical. A few seconds lost thinking about what to do instead of reacting may cost you your life. He has some simple tactics and tips to keep women safe in any kind of situation • "Wear a purse that goes across...

Here's a story from the Huffington Post about perceptions that young women have about Sexual Assaults. It raises one potential answer to why so many sexual assault crimes-nearly 250,000 a year ago-go unreported 60% of the time. The answer is many women do not see themselves as victims. A sociologist at Marquette University analyzed interviews with 100 girls between the ages of three and 17 who may have experienced sexual assault. Overwhelmingly, their accounts indicated sexual violence has been normalized in their communities and they considered harassment an everyday part...