Since another user linked an article to the incel threat growing (to no one's surprise) it had me thinking about the increasing violence against women and I feel it would be a good idea to have a thread where we can all share safety tactics we use so we can better protect ourselves in our every day life.

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We shouldn't have to live in fear and paranoia every day, and I am not encouraging that mindset. I'm interested in sharing ideas and tactics that will empower us to atleast have a fighting chance, or keep us one step ahead if, god forbid, anything happens to us.

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Personally I keep atleast 2 weapons on me; A fake key that folds into a sharp knife and an actual pocket knife that unsheathes quickly. Mine has a lock and a button that folds the knife out immediately when pressed. My pocket knife has saved me; I was being followed by a guy who kept trying to get me into his car and I flashed my knife. He saw and immediately sped off.

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If you decide to go with a knife or gun, please seek out some sort of training; especially with a gun. If you choose either of these, be prepared with the idea of possibly killing someone if you've ever put in that position. I hope I'm never put in this position, but these are both lethal weapons and should be used seriously. To me my knives are a last resort and I would sooner bite off someone's nose or something than use my knives. Male predators don't deserve that kind of grace, but you have to consider your own mental state if you are ever in a scenario where you possibly took someone's life no matter how justified it seems.

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I see hairspray as a good choice for women who aren't comfortable with more brutal weapons, and where pepper spray is illegal. No one is going to question you on why you have hairspray in your bag and it still stings enough to where you can get away.

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A fold-able walking stick is also a great idea. Again it's not weird to keep a walking stick on you, you can say you enjoy hiking or something whilst having a decent weapon.

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Do not give men your real number, give them a google number or some other "fake number". You can reverse look up someone's phone number and god knows what else with it. Better safe than sorry and you can easily delete that fake number and never have to worry about constantly blocking him if he decides to harass you from multiple numbers.

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Items like Nightcap which is a scrunchie that can also become a drink cover for any beverage you have while out at a club or somewhere else. Decreases your chances of getting roofied.

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I hope to see some creative ideas, especially for women where self-defense items are illegal in their countries. I wish I had more ideas, but these are the first ones that come to mind.