Self Defense for Public Restrooms

Video Transcript

"In this series we're going to talk about some things women can do to keep themselves safe while traveling or when they're out and abroad. Restrooms pose a special concern. Late at night they're usually deserted. There very rarely is surveillance cameras inside them so this is a very high risk area for women to be by themselves. Especially if it's again, late at night or some off hour, maybe a weekend, there's nobody around at all. So if Zondra were to walk into the restroom and somebody saw her and he knew there was, she was alone, this is a very high risk environment. I recommend avoiding it late at night if you, if at all possible. Alright, in this situation Zondra's in the restroom, she saw someone suspicious outside and then she heard footsteps coming into the bathroom. By the time she hears the footsteps coming into the bathroom she should have her phone out and ready to go. Let's say the person comes in and then he kicks the door open, boom! She should have her phone up, up to her ear, and say I'm calling the police right now. Let this person know that he's been discovered, it's no longer a surprise attack, the threat has been identified and now he has to deal with the fact that police are probably on their way. If this doesn't make the perpetrator leave, she needs to get back in the defensive stance, keep the phone to her ear so anybody on the 9-1-1 dispatch can hear everything that's going on, start describing the person. He's wearing a red t-shirt, he's about five foot eight, and if he gets closer, again kick to the groin. And then immediately slam the door, keep the barrier between him. Now it's going to force him to go through the door again. She can prop the door with her foot to keep me from going through it. Now in this situation, Zondra's at the sink. Every tool you can use to keep yourself safe is important. In this situation, there's a mirror right in front of her so if I approach her, especially being a man in a womans restroom, she knows something is going to be potentially dangerous so she needs to turn around right away. Verbal boundaries ('Get back!'), set the fighting stance up, letting me know that this is not a situation she's comfortable with. And again, strike immediately, If I get past the zone where she feels that she's in danger, she needs to start striking, striking, striking and get away as fast as possible out this door. The thing with the restroom that makes it a little unusual is the fact that there's a man in the restroom tells you that either he's maybe under the influence of chemicals or he's really aggressive. So this makes the danger even more great so you need to be extra cautious, be a little more aggressive and assertive in your defense."