Tina Lamb believes urinating or vomiting on a rapist might not work.
Lamb, the coordinator of UF’s Rape Aggression Defense program, said attackers are not concerned with physical attraction but instead are seeking control.
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs caused a stir last week with an update to its public safety page suggesting women could urinate or vomit to deter a rapist.
The list of 10 tips for “What To Do If You Are Attacked,” which includes vomiting or urinating to deter the attacker, was taken down the next day and replaced with an explanation and an apology — but not before it hit the Internet. Users criticized the list by tweeting less serious tips and using the hashtag #UCCSTips.
Lamb said strategies like the ones mentioned in the UCCS list should not be relied on without substantial self-defense training.
“Ideally, a woman should have something other than just that,” she said. “There are no absolutes in this world. Nothing will work all the time, every time.”
Rape Aggression Defense, known as R.A.D., is an internationally recognized self-defense program designed specifically for women, Lamb said. In the R.A.D. class, women learn tactics including verbal techniques, ground defense options and ways to escape bear hugs and choke holds.
The update to the UCCS page explains that the tips were intended to be used as a supplement to the R.A.D. course.
R.A.D. teaches women how they can protect themselves without having to rely on others.
“Our best success stories are women who never have to engage in a physical confrontation – they recognize potentially dangerous situations much sooner and take proactive steps to avoid them,” Lamb said.
She said people who take the class typically leave with a greater sense of independence and a realization of their physical power.
Having the confidence to look someone in the eye while walking decreases vulnerability, said Christa Parmerlee, a UF R.A.D. instructor.
“They know you’re there and that you see them,” she said.
Parmerlee admits to being shy prior to her experience with R.A.D. training, which she credits with building up her confidence.
“What I love about it is seeing the look on the students’ faces when they have completed the course and seeing the look of ‘I did it,’” Parmerlee said.
