Personal Safety Resources

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
Amazon Description: In this empowering book, Gavin de Becker, the man Oprah Winfrey calls the US’ leading expert on violent behaviour, shows you how to spot even subtle signs of danger – before it’s too late. Shattering the myth that most violent acts are unpredictable, de Becker, whose clients include top Hollywood stars and government agencies, offers specific ways to protect yourself and those you love, including: how to act when approached by a stranger; when you should fear someone close to you; what to do if you are being stalked; how to uncover the source of anonymous threats or phone calls; the biggest mistake you can make with a threatening person; and more. You can learn to spot the danger signals others miss. It might just save your life.

Your Body Is Your Weapon: The Little Self-Defense Handbook by I. Buenaventura
An illustrated guide for females on the basics of self-defense written from a woman’s POV. It addresses the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of assault and self-protection, but is different from the typical self-defense book because it is written in free verse. It’s 8 short chapters of practical poetry with practical pics. Most female victims experience their first rape before the age of 25, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. But sexual assault can be prevented. When you know the fundamentals of how to stay safe and how to fight for yourself you increase your chances for survival. This book shows that you can do that.

A Self Defense Study Guide for Trans Women and Gender Non-Conforming / Nonbinary AMAB Folks
Published in collaboration with Transfighters/Traction Project, A Self-Defense Study Guide for Trans Women and Gender Non-Conforming / Nonbinary AMAB Folks offers strategies based in lived experience, ranging from using body language and creating safety in numbers, to training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu moves. The zine includes chapters on how to handle people who have legal or financial power over you, cis women gropers, and menfolk bullies, along with instruction on how to back each other up as a group and how to pause a makeout. Trans women, AMAB nonbinary, and AMAB gender-nonconforming people need self-defense that reflects the specific kinds of threats we get. This guide is one resource for expanding your toolkit to keep on living in this world.

Informational Websites

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
  RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE, online.rainn.org y rainn.org/es) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
  24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse. Contacts to The Hotline can expect highly-trained, expert advocates to offer free, confidential, and compassionate support, crisis intervention information, education, and referral services in over 200 languages.
• NSVRC (National Sexual Violence Resource Center)
  The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is the leading nonprofit in providing information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence. NSVRC translates research and trends into best practices that help individuals, communities and service providers achieve real and lasting change. NSVRC also works with the media to promote informed reporting. Every April, NSVRC leads Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a campaign to educate and engage the public in addressing this widespread issue. NSVRC is also one of the three founding organizations of RALIANCE, a national, collaborative initiative dedicated to ending sexual violence in one generation.
• National Coalition Against Sexual Assault: Guidelines For Choosing A Self-Defense Course
  Self-Defense Philosophy – Ideally, a good self-defense program should reflect these philosophical points in its outlook:
  1. No one asks for, causes, invites, or deserves to be assaulted. Women and men sometimes exercise poor judgment about safety behavior, but that does not make them responsible for the attack. Attackers are responsible for their attacks and their use of violence to overpower, control and abuse another human being.
  2. Whatever a person’s decision in a given self-defense situation, whatever action she/he does or does not take, that person is not at fault. Someone’s decision to survive the best way she can must be respected. Self-defense classes should not be used as a judgment against a victim/survivor.
  3. Good self-defense programs do not “tell” an individual what she “should” or “should not” do. A program should offer options, techniques, and a way of analyzing situations. A program may point out what USUALLY works best in MOST situations, but each situation is unique and the final decision rests with the person actually confronted by the situation.
  4. Empowerment is the goal of a good self-defense program. The individual’s right to make decisions about her participation must be respected. Pressure should not be brought to bear in any way to get someone to participate in an activity if she’s hesitant or unwilling.
• ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE RESOURCES 
  From the website: Resources gathered to help individuals educate others, take action, donate, and more. Anti-Asian racism and violent attacks on Asian elderly have only increased in recent months. Since COVID-19 became news in the United States, hate speech and violence against the AAPI community has run rampant. In February 2021, attacks, particularly on elderly Asian Americans, have spiked. Unfortunately, many of these incidents are not being reported and are invisible to major media outlets. We hope to change this by offering the following resources with our community. Please join us in taking action whether it’s by educating yourself and others around you or donating to non-profit organizations.
• Tips for Staying Safe at College 
  A comprehensive article about campus safety and things to keep in mind when going out.
• Pixel Privacy
  Our mission is to help you protect your privacy online. Founded in 2017, we’re a small team of privacy enthusiasts working remotely from the US, Mexico and Australia. Our guides now help hundreds of thousands of people every month and we’ve been featured in places like Forbes, The Guardian, Lifehacker and more.
• ONLINE HARASSMENT FIELD MANUAL
  Online abuse poses an urgent and growing threat to free expression, equity, and inclusion. Whether you’re experiencing or witnessing online abuse, this Field Manual offers concrete strategies for how to defend yourself and others. We wrote this guidance with and for those disproportionately impacted by online abuse: writers, journalists, artists, and activists who identify as women, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA+. Whatever your identity or vocation, anyone active online will find useful tools and resources here for navigating online abuse and tightening digital safety.
• Stomp Out Bullying
  STOMP Out Bullying™ is dedicated to changing the culture for all students. It works to reduce and prevent bullying, cyberbullying, and other digital abuse, educates against homophobia, LGBTQ+ discrimination, racism and hatred, and deters violence in schools, online and in communities across the country. In this diverse world, STOMP Out Bullying promotes civility, inclusion and equality. It teaches effective solutions on how to respond to all forms of bullying, as well as educating kids and teens in school and online. It provides help for those in need and at risk of suicide, and raises awareness through peer mentoring programs in schools, public service announcements by noted celebrities, and social media campaigns.
• 12 STEPS TO SELF CARE
  1. If it feels wrong, don’t do it.
  2. Say “exactly” what you mean.
  3. Don’t be a people pleaser.
  4. Trust your instincts.
  5. Never speak bad about yourself.
  6. Never give up on your dreams.
  7. Don’t be afraid to say “No”.
  8. Don’t be afraid to say “Yes”.
  9. Be KIND to yourself.
  10. Let go of what you can’t control.
  11. Stay away from drama & negativity.
  12. Love Yourself.
• Don’t Call The Police
  Provides easy access to alternatives to calling the police when faced with a situation that requires de-escalation and/or intervention, not violence.
• RedRover Relief – Domestic Violence Assistance
  Our mission is to bring animals out of crisis and strengthen the bond between people and animals through emergency sheltering, disaster-relief services, financial assistance, and education.

Learn Self-Defense In-Person or Online

• PREPARE
  Prepare is an educational services company that offers comprehensive violence prevention programs and evidence-based programs for personal safety, communication skills and self-defense. This training is an important part of a larger movement to create social change, prevent abuse, and support healing. We are committed to a broad vision of societal response to violence.
• R.A.D. Systems
  The mission of the R.A.D. Systems is to establish an accessible, constantly improving and internationally respected alliance of dedicated Instructors. These Instructors in turn, will provide educational opportunities for women, children, men
  and seniors to create a safer future for themselves. In doing this, we challenge society to evolve into an existence where violence is not an acceptable part of daily life.
• Center for Anti-Violence Education
  The Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE) works to prevent hate violence in our communities through educational programs that center the experiences of the people most marginalized. Programs combine awareness raising, physical empowerment, leadership development and activism.
• Stand Up
  Stand Up is a training program designed to help prevent street harassment and build safe, inclusive spaces for all, powered by L’Oréal Paris in partnership with the NGO Hollaback!. A strong partnership to train 1,000,000 people When we see someone fall, or drop something in public, we instinctively help out. Why don’t we have the same reaction when we see someone being sexually harassed? We see it happen, but uncomfortably look away. We feel the urge to speak up, but stay cautiously silent. We all want to do something about it, but don’t know what. Or worse, we end up thinking it’s “not a big deal.” Not knowing what constitutes street harassment and what to do, limits our ability to take action, chipping away at the self-worth of men and women who suffer from street harassment.
• Right to Be (formerly Hollaback!)
  Our work focuses on turning the care we have for each other into simple, creative, effective action. We want to build a world that’s free of harassment and filled with humanity. Every day, we train hundreds of people to respond to, intervene in, and heal from harassment. We hold space for people experiencing harassment to share their stories for affirmation and support. And we prepare new leaders to create workplaces, schools, and communities around the world that are filled with humanity. We provide free trainings to the public and customized training experiences for businesses, organizations, schools, and colleges. Our trainings are oriented to empower you to make a change and channel attention into simple, creative, and effective action. You will find tools to learn how to respond, intervene, and heal from harassment. We want to empower you with the resources you need to take care of yourself and others because we believe we all have the right to be who we are, wherever we are.
• Non-Violent Peaceforce
  Unarmed Civilian Protection Across Generations
  Together, we surface the instincts that keep us safe & build skills to look out for ourselves and one another. Start here with these quick resources.