On April 6, a room full of women attended the “Avoid Being a Victim” presentation at the Whitman Center.
University of Toledo police officers Jill Goldberg and Captain Julie Rightnowar came to educate an audience in the field of self defense.
What this audience lacked in sexual diversity it made up with in age range, with seniors and children as well as all generations between attending.
Several mothers and grandmothers brought their daughters and granddaughters in the hopes of acquiring useful survival skills.
“You need to think about your own personal safety,” Rightnowar said. “You do have it in you.”
“Attacks can happen to anybody at any time. You need to have a plan of action,” Rightnowar said.
Throughout the presentation, both speakers provided their audience with a slideshow-guided set of advice and tips, as well as statistics.
Several audience members didn’t expect one of Goldberg’s numbers.
“Your chances of survival go down by seventy percent if you’re taken to a remote location,” Goldberg explained.
Rightnowar and Goldberg’s event covered what to do before, during, and after various types of confrontations.
While rape consumed a noticeable chunk of the total presentation time, the presenters also spoke and offered advice for situations regarding theft, assault, home invasion, and even road rage.
The women, as well as their audience, also reflected on several personal stories in the hopes of really striking a chord with the young and inexperienced among them.
“I consider myself lucky that nothing ever happened,” Rightnowar said.
Many college-graduate women, when asked a year out of college, said they regret some of their conduct decisions regarding alcohol and safety, mentioned Goldberg.
Besides advice and stories, the officers also physically illustrated some moves for women to employ to avoid becoming victims.
Rightnowar emphasized the basics of not appearing like an “easy” victim by walking around the room confidently, then again with her head tucked and timid.
Rightnowar and Goldberg even directly addressed some of the myths associated with rape and victim selection.
By the end of the 90-minute event, Rightnowar and Goldberg were dissatisfied by all the information they did not have a chance to share. Rightnowar invited participants to ask her for further information, and gave her email address: julierightnowar@utoledo.com.
The event was complementary to a display at the Whitman Center, the theme centering around violence against women.
The display can be viewed until April 15.
