Know Your Rights

What You Can Do To Help Minimize Your Risk of Becoming a Victim

Be aware. Does your partner: Threaten to hurt you or your children? Say it’s your fault if he or she hits you and then promises it won’t happen again (but it does)? Put you down in public? Force you to have sex when you don’t want to? Follow you? Send you unwanted messages and gifts?

• Be assertive. Speak up.
• Stay sober and watch out for dates and/or anyone who tries to get you drunk or high.
• Clearly communicate limits to partners, friends and acquaintances.
• Never leave a party with someone you don’t know well and trust.
• Trust your feelings; if it feels wrong, it probably is.
• Learn all you can and talk with your friends. Help them stay safe.
• Report incidents of violence to law enforcement and campus authorities.