This is very good one.
When I was small child, I was living with my mother and younger sister in cottage in woods, and our father was coming only for weekends.
Every day, mum was putting some of his clothes on clothes line on front porch, and it worked very well:)

):-(

I am Autistic so it makes me a target.

Thankfully I have never been accosted, although some delinquents did try to break into my apartment once. These brats knocked at the door at like midnight. I looked through the peephole and didn’t answer. Then they went around back and started trying to get in the window.

I called the cops immediately and stood at the window where they were with a sword (yes, a sword) in hand ready to cut off whatever came through the window first! They ran off though (and promptly got caught by the incoming police).

I once heard that sexy/ provocatively dressed women get attacked not because they look “inviting”, but because they’re an easy target. And really, it’s not that comfortable to run on heels in a mini, and if your hair is down and waving all around, it’s very easy to grab and pull.

I live in what is presumed to be a safe area, but one can never be too cautious. Things I always do is scan surroundings before I get in the car, check the CAR before I get into it — I cannot stress this enough, ALWAYS do it, — and lock myself in before I start the car and drive off. The important thing is not to forget to unlock it once you’re on the road, because if, God forbid, something happens, it’ll be much harder to open the doors and get you out.

When using mass transit, don’t stand close to the doors, even if the next station is yours.

One of my acquaintances worked as a prison guard. She told me that if I am ever in the situation where I have to walk home in the dark in a scarcely populated area, then walk in the middle of the road — yes, where cars usually go. I told her it seemed unsafe, and she answered that it’s much easier to jump out from a bush, alley, whatever and drag you in a secluded area when you’re on the sidewalk. It’s an extreme advice for sure, but walking home alone in the dark in a rough area isn’t a daily occurrence either, I hope.

Also, it’s a mistake to assume that once you’re in the light, you’re safe. It’s hard to see what’s going on in the dark once you’re standing under the streetlight. That, and source of light usually makes you more at ease and therefore not as aware.

Another advice I once heard, if you’re attacked by a raper, tell him/ her your name. It sounds weird, but if you think of it, it has a point. To a raper you’re a faceless victim, something to use and dispose of. When you put a name to something, it’s different. Though of course it would hardly stop them, it could throw them off for a moment. And then you use that moment to punch them in the nose.

Other than that, use whatever possible to defend yourself. Bite, claw, poke in the eye, pull ears.