By Elisa Wallace
Every two minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. One in three women is a victim of sexual assault during her lifetime.
Last year in Savannah, 46 rapes were reported to the police. Eleven of those occurred within the downtown area where the majority of SCAD students live, work and play. But sexual assault remains one of the most under-reported crimes because of the shame and stigma attached to being raped or abused.
The victim may know the assailant, who could be a date or a family member. The victim may feel responsible because drugs or alcohol were involved.
Mary McAlister, executive director of Savannah’s Rape Crisis Center, reminds people that rape is never their fault.
“Rape is not about sex. It’s about power,” said McAlister to a 100-plus crowd on April 16 at Take Back the Night – the center’s annual rally and march at Forsyth Park to raise awareness about sexual violence against women, men and children.
Part of that awareness, said McAlister, is knowing what to do to prevent attacks. Aside from trusting your instincts, she said, always fight back.
The Campus Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights that was made into law in 1992 requires colleges and universities to develop prevention policies and provide strategies to prevent and respond to sexual assaults on campus.
Three years ago, SCAD initiated the Rape Aggression Defense System (R.A.D.S.) program on campus, a self defense system developed in 1989 by Larry Nadeu, a former U.S. Marine who wanted to teach women the same tactics militia men use in order to survive attacks. The course is taught in four, two-hour installments and includes:
- Risk awareness
- Risk prevention
- Risk reduction
- Basic hands-on defense training
Each quarter, including summer, the R.A.D.S. program is offered to female students free of charge. This quarter classes filled almost immediately because Director of Student Conduct Cris Dykeman increased outreach to students.
“Attending the seminar give women the confidence that they can conquer anything, including knowing how to protect themselves,” she said.
Dykeman, a license R.A.D.S. instructor, also teaches safety precautions, including self-defense, to first-year students as part of the standard First-Year Experience class.
“I feel confident that students have the tools they need to feel safe in the city. Ninety percent of self-defense is mental, so after we give you the mental tools, the physical self-defense tools are very easy to learn,” Dykeman said.
To find out more, contact the R.A.D.S. program. Male students can request self-defense classes through SCAD Security.
