by Alexa Roberts, ’21
Walking down the street as a woman has become increasingly dangerous. According to CBS News, America is the only western nation that is in the top ten most dangerous countries for women. Instead of telling women that they need to change the way the dress or the way they present themselve in public, we should give the the freedom to act however they want while being able to keep themselves safe. Women have long been told to hold our car keys between our fingers as a potential weapon in case of attack. New methods of self defense are coming out every day.
A Nov. 29 article published on A Secure Life, a website managed by security experts, recommends using a One item Lemmon discusses are personal alarms that are easy to use and hide. The loud, ear-piercing alarm will grab the attention of anyone around. Pepper spray is also easy to use and effective to disable an attacker for around 15-30 minutes. People do need to understand that it will not stop the attacker—it will only slow them down. There are so many more options than just weapons. Since this is the digital age, it is only appropriate that there are apps. For instance, when activated, the PANIK app will send out distress calls and alert users’ friends that they need help.
The app also sets off an alarm and flashing colors on the screen to attract the attention of bystanders. Another option is self defense classes. Upper Arlington Jiu-Jitsu offers a women’s self defense class every Thursday at 6 p.m. America is in the top 10 countries most dangerous for women, along with India, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and Somalia. We can’t make the whole country safe for women, but we can give them a way to protect themselves. Instead of telling women what not to do, we should encourage them to do what they want while taking care of themselves. There shouldn’t be restrictions due to the actions of other people. We should be able to pride ourselves on the safety of our country even if that means creating new non-lethal weapons. When women walk down the street, they should have confidence in their ability to keep themselves safe. America’s top priority should be to get off that list. Americans always talk about freedom, but women in America don’t have the freedom to live their lives peacefully.