The Realities of Rape Prevention

At the beginning of my semester abroad in Delhi, I entered the Metro station for the first time and I saw to my right a hot pink sign, decorated in flowers and displaying a stick figure woman. She was wearing that public bathroom classic, the triangle skirt, a style that few American or Indian women actually sport. I laughed, reading this "Women Only" sign, and snapped a photo to send home. I thought, “What a hilarious collection of stereotypes! What a silly, paternalistic notion to have a separate train car for females!”

Shortly afterwards, I rode the train. I got on the women's car, close to the accordion-like connector, and felt ten pairs of male eyes on me from the next car. I quickly deployed my tried and tested strategy for getting rid of creeps: A stern look. It seems silly in retrospect, but on the streets of Boston, it's all I've ever needed. However, on this occasion, my glare fell flat, and if anything, I was just met with more curiosity, more stares, and more examination from the men in the car next door. I moved down the train and internally thanked the Delhi Metro for that pink sign and this car.

The pink, flowery sign made clear to foreigners and illiterate metro riders what I quickly learned—that the women's car was an oasis, a refuge from the rest of Delhi, where some men felt no shame in staring at me, following me, or even trying to grab me while I walked down the street.

In Cambridge, it's safe to say we have no need for a women-only car on the T. Women are very safe moving around the Boston area the vast majority of the time. However, there are places where women aren't always safe: A final club or frat house, a bar, or a city street after midnight.

Activists rightly assert that rape is never the victim’s fault, that we should focus on teaching men not to rape rather than outlining preventative strategies for women. And there is clear evidence showing that prevention programs that educate men are definitely the best solution. However, it’s also important to be realistic about the world we live in today. Rape prevention strategies for women can be empowering, and it is urgent that we use them when they prove effective.

The New York Times recently published a story about a very useful rape prevention program in Canada. The program trained female freshman university students in specific and practical strategies to avoid rape. The training focused on role-playing and awareness about the use of alcohol and roofies; it also included physical defense tactics suitable to acquaintance rape situations.

The risk of attempted rape was lowered from 10 percent in a control group to 5 percent for those women who completed the training. While the fact that 5 percent of trained women experienced an attempted rape their freshman year is a harrowing reality, a program that might cut the rate of sexual assault in half is certainly worth pursuing.

A lifeguard is more prepared to respond to an emergency situation on the beach because they've practiced how to react: They can remember a series of steps and implement them in a crisis. Similarly, rape prevention training for women can help women escape dangerous situations because they've already practiced doing so. Personally, I've attended CARE workshops about recognizing dangerous situations and bystander intervention; I’ve also been practicing with Harvard Krav Maga since my sophomore year, and both have helped me feel much safer.