I recently read a very disturbing article about a young woman who was sexually assaulted in an airplane bathroom. She was attacked on a red-eye flight by a drunk man who sat in the seat next to her on the plane. It is hard to imagine how an attack could happen in such a cramped place, like an airplane bathroom, with many passengers nearby. But she did. We have to remember that sexual assaults are attacks of opportunity. He followed her into the bathroom, controlled her, intimidated her and assaulted her.
When I started researching bathroom attacks, I realized that they were much more common than I could have imagined. Girls and boys in school bathrooms, women in shopping center bathrooms, park bathrooms and hotel bathrooms.
It’s quite shocking when an enraged person kicks down a door or runs behind you into a bathroom stall, public restroom, or rest area to attack you. Let me be brutally clear with you. When someone attacks you in a bathroom, they are doing it there, due to the remote location that a bathroom provides.
An attacker’s goal is to hurt you, beat you, and control you. With control, and having inflicted bodily damage, he can continue to sexually assault you and perhaps kill you.
The bathroom attacks I read about happened in much the same way in each case. The first situation happened at least three or four times and in different areas. They were incidents involving several lone women who entered public restrooms and were violently confronted by a male attacker, hiding in the restroom.
My first lesson is awareness. A person who is texting or on the phone will be an easy target. Don’t stay glued to your phone. Keep an eye out for anyone lurking nearby who might follow you into the bathroom. Watch out for doors and locks that appear to have been tampered with or damaged. It was probably done deliberately. Trust your gut, if something feels wrong, find another bathroom. Be alert when you are alone in a bathroom. When a man comes out of a bathroom, he can play dumb and pretend that he thought he was in the men’s room.
If you are a woman, first action, do not listen to her excuses, run to the exit, while yelling that a man followed you to the bathroom. If he’s been holed up in there for a while, he probably knows exactly how long he’s got before someone else comes in.
Second state. You’re in a stall and someone kicks in the door. The first reaction will be pure fright until your adrenaline rises. The attacker will use this first moment of shock to hit you or punch you in the face and head. Blows and blows to the head can disorient the victim. He or she might punch you, hit you in the face with an object, or kick you in the face multiple times. Even if you have been hit, you must take action. Turn your head and tuck your head into one of your shoulders, and raise your arms about six inches in front of your head and face, making fists to absorb shock.
Get off and go to the next stall if you can. If you dive, get up immediately. If you can, use the door as a weapon and hit it in the face of the attackers. Keep your fists and arms up to defend yourself. Push him towards the stable to escape by yourself. Kick him in the knee and knee him in the snout. Believe it or not, women also feel pain if they are kicked or kneed in the pubic area.
If you can’t move on to the next station, push your forearms and fists into the attacker’s chin or chest as you stand up. Slam your forearms hard into the face, ribs, chest, and shoulder of basically anything you can reach. Direct kick to the attacker’s knees. As you stand up, be prepared that the attacker will probably try to strangle you to control and immobilize you, or continue to hit you. This choke can be a frontal attack or from behind.
If the attacker is trying to shock you from behind, push your hips into him to throw him off balance. Hard elbow in the ribs. Almost simultaneously, he takes a step to the right with his right foot, which will throw him off balance a bit. He brings your left leg over his right leg and plants your left foot and your right leg behind his right leg. Turn your right foot towards him. You will now be facing the right side of him. He won’t be able to grab your neck while you’re next to him. With your left fist, punch into his back and towards his right ribs. Then push your right forearm and elbow towards him with all your strength, and this movement will push him forward and away from you. Run to the door. If he catches you again. Kick your heel back into his knee. Keep kicking and screaming.
I’m going to describe the old exhaust from the left side as well for reference. Drive your hips into him, elbow him, step to the left and immediately put your right foot up, over and behind his left leg, turn your left foot toward him. Hit him with your right hand in the ribs and back, and then with your left forearm, hit him forward and away from you.
Another trick the attacker will use is to hit your head against a wall or a hard surface like a sink, toilet, or hand dryer. Put your hands and forearms in front of your face, so if he hits you, your arms will absorb the impact and not your face. Tuck your chin toward one of his shoulders. Kick your heel towards his knees. Keep kicking back, try to step on his foot. As the attacker loosens your grip, even slightly, turn his body toward you with your elbow and forearm out. This gives you several defense options. Rotate your elbow toward your ribs, sternum, head, then follow with the other fist toward your head, ribs, throat, or sternum.
Last choke scenario from the front. He will most likely be in front of you and will use both hands to press or squeeze your neck. A great effective move to pull off no matter what your height is, is to cross your outstretched arms, grab the hand that is furthest from your hand that you just moved.
For example, with your right hand, reach out and grab the little finger of your right hand and pull it toward the ceiling. With your right hand, maintain control of your right hand, press down with your forearm against your wrists to cause pressure, continue to curl your little finger toward the ceiling. As soon as he starts to loosen up, take a step to the right. You will continue to press your palm against his hand, he will slowly rotate your little finger up and pull his right hand towards you and down to the right. Continue bending your little finger up. With the other hand, press your palm into your elbow and move your left foot so it’s parallel with your right foot. Your feet are open about shoulder width apart.
If you grabbed his right hand with your right, you step to the right and pull him to that side, pressing the palm of your left hand against his right elbow. Guess what, if she doesn’t want his elbow to break, she’ll move with you. When he stumbles and loses his balance, while holding his arm, knee him in the face. This is easier with the right knee. If you reached out with your left hand, you’ll grab his left little finger and pull it toward the ceiling. Press your forearm into his wrists and step to the left. Control your left with your left and press the palm of your right hand against your elbow. Adjust the position of your feet so they are parallel, which puts you in a better position to knee him in the face and head with your left knee.
A bathroom attacker is there to hurt you and catch you! It’s not going to be pretty, this is not a rehearsed movie scene. Everything hurts and you will be exhausted, terrified and unable to breathe. But remember this, he or she does not know that you are about to go into battle. An attacker will be clueless and surprised that you learned some good fighting techniques, and he may go on the offensive to break free. If you drop your purse, bag, or jacket during this hectic time, don’t go looking for it again. You must go out to a safe place. Keep your focus and aim and you will.