10 Safety Tips For Female University Students
10 Safety Tips For Female University Students. University life is supposed to be an exciting one, but sadly it’s not for many young women. Every week in South Africa we get horrific reports of young female university students who have been assaulted, raped or even murdered.
The following tips can help you avoid any sort of danger that female students find themselves subjected to.
1. Be Careful With What You Share
Do not let your photo appear with your room number, address, phone number, or any other identifying info in campus directories that are available to the public. Decide who knows where you live, eat, and sleep.
2. Get Oriented
Participate in all freshmen orientations the school has to offer. It’s a great way to learn the ins and outs of the campus, from how the systems work to quickest routes to class. And you’ll meet a ton of new friends in the process!
3. Keep Your Cell Phone With You
Keep it charged and have emergency numbers on speed dial. If you have to call emergency numbers, your phone can be tracked if needed. This is a critical tool in today’s technological age. Also have the number of your campus into your cell phone, as well as the local police station.
4. Familiarize Yourself With The Area
Whether you’ll be traveling mainly by foot, car, or public transit, take some time to get to know your way around. Learn how to get from dorm room to classroom and other parts of campus. Survey it block by block, and familiarize yourself with the immediate surrounding neighborhood, too.
5. It’s Good to Share
Make sure to let your parents and/or close friends know what your daily schedule is. Give them a copy of your class schedule and activities along with a list of important phone numbers like your, roommate, friend, counselor and any other important contact numbers in case of an emergency.
6. Run with a Pack
Safety in numbers: Don’t travel alone, especially at night and in more desolate parts of campus. Avoid isolated shortcuts no matter how tired you are after a long day of studying. And make sure to use the campus shuttle service if provided.
7. Be Aware of Your Surroundings
No matter where you are, on or off campus, you must always be aware of your surroundings. The more you are familiar with the area the less you become a target for criminals. Criminals look for the easiest target, that is generally someone who preoccupied, unsure, and generally unaware of who or what is around them.
8. Keep It Public
Most of the abuse and harassment happen in private places or where there are few people. Studying with someone new? Even with study groups, you should make a habit of staying in public places. There’s less that can go wrong when there are ample witnesses.
9. Trust Your Instincts
We are creatures genetically engineered to survive, so trust your feelings. If your gut tells you something’s wrong, don’t do it! Develop the habit of looking around, observing your environment and noticing what’s going on around you. The best defense to any danger is avoiding it.
10. When In Trouble, Let It Out
If you feel threatened, don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid to say “no”, scream, kick, bite or break property around you to get to safety or draw attention. Shouting “fire” will get a bigger reaction than shouting “help”.” Everyone wants to know where the fire is.
