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-eyed flight, by a drunken man who sat in the seat next to her on the plane. It is difficult to imagine how an attack can occur in such a narrow place, such as an airplane bathroom, with a lot of passengers nearby. But he did. We must remember that sexual assaults are attacks of opportunity. He followed her to the bathroom, controlled her, intimidated her and assaulted her.
When I started researching toilet 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 a huge shock when an enraged person kicks in a door, or pushes behind you into a bathroom, public toilet, 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.
The goal of an attacker is to hurt you, hit you, and control you. With control and having inflicted bodily harm, he can continue to sexually assault you and perhaps kill you.
The bathroom attacks I read about happened in much the same way in every case. The first situation happened at least three or four times and in different areas. They were incidents that involved several single women who entered public toilets, and were violently confronted by a male aggressor, hiding in the post.
My first lesson is conscience. A person who is texting or talking on the phone will be an easy target. Don’t stick to your phone. Be on the lookout for anyone lurking nearby and you can follow them to the bathroom. Beware of doors and locks that appear to have been tampered with or damaged. It was probably done deliberately. Trust your instincts, if something feels wrong, find another bathroom. Be alert when alone in a bathroom. When a man comes out of a cubicle, he may play dumb and pretend he thought he was in the men’s room.
If you are a woman, first action, do not listen to their excuses, run towards the exit, while yelling that a man followed you to the bathroom. If you’ve been hiding there for a while, you probably know exactly how long you have before someone else walks in.
Second situation. You are in a stable and someone kicks in the door. The first reaction will be pure shock until the adrenaline kicks in. The attacker will use these first moments of shock to hit you or hit you in the face and head. Hitting and punching to the head can disorient the victim. You could hit him, hit him in the face with an object, or kick him in the face multiple times. Even if you have been beaten, you must act. Turn your head and lean it towards one of the shoulders and bring your arms up about six inches in front of your head and face, clenching your fists to absorb the blows.
If you can, move down to the next position. If it sinks, 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 in defense. Push it into the stable to make a clear escape for yourself. Kick him in the knee and knee him in the groin. Believe it or not, women also feel pain if they are kicked or kneeled in the pubic area.
If you cannot move to the next position, press your forearms and fists against the attacker’s chin or chest while standing up. Slam your forearms hard against the face, ribs, chest, and shoulder of basically anything you can reach. Kick directly to the attacker’s knees. Be prepared, as you stand, that the attacker will likely attempt to strangle you, to control and immobilize you, or to continue hitting you. This strangulation can be a frontal attack or from behind.
If the attacker is trying to hit you from behind, push your hips toward him to throw him off balance. Give him a hard elbow in the ribs. Around the same time, he takes a step to the right with his right foot, which will throw him off balance a bit. Pass your left leg over your right leg and place your left foot and leg behind your right leg. Turn your right foot towards him. You will now be facing his right side. He will not be able to hold your neck while you are by his side. With your left fist, punch him in the back and into the right ribs. Then push your right forearm and elbow towards him with all your might, and this movement will push him forward and away from you. Run to the door. If he grabs you again. Kick his knee with your heel. Keep kicking and screaming.
I am going to describe the above exhaust from the left side as well for reference. Push your hips towards him, elbow him, step to the left and immediately place your right foot up, over and behind his left leg, turn your left foot towards him. Punch him with your right hand on the ribs and back, and then with your left forearm, punch him forward and away from you.
Another trick the attacker will use is hitting your head against a wall or a hard surface like the sink, toilet, or hand dryer. Put your hands and forearms in front of your face, so if it hits you, your arms will absorb the impact and not your face. Move your chin towards one of your shoulders. Kick your heel to his knees. Keep kicking back, try stepping on your foot. When the attacker loosens his grip, slightly turn your body toward him with the elbow and forearm outward. This gives you several defense options. Move your elbow toward your ribs, sternum bone, head, and then follow with your other fist toward your head, ribs, throat, or breastbone.
Last scene of strangulation from the front. Most likely, he is in front of you and will use both hands to press or squeeze your neck. A great effective move to achieve regardless of your height is reaching across your outstretched arms, grasping the hand that is farthest from the hand you just moved.
For example, with your right hand reach out and grab the little finger of your right hand and pull it towards 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 bend your little finger towards the ceiling. As soon as it starts to loosen, take a step to the right. You will continue to press the palm of your hand against your hand, and slowly turn your pinky up and pull your right hand towards you and down to the right. Continue bending your little finger up. With the other hand, press your palm against your elbow and move your left foot so that it is parallel with your right foot. Your feet are about shoulder-width apart.
If you grab his right hand with your right, step to the right and pull him to that side, press your left palm against his right elbow. Guess what, if you don’t want your elbow to break, it will move with you. When he loses his balance, while you are holding his arm, knee him in the face. This is easier with the right knee. If you reached out with your left hand, it will grab your left little finger and pull it towards the ceiling. Press your forearm into your wrists and step to the left. Control your left with your left and press your right palm on his elbow. Adjust the position of your feet so they are parallel, which puts you in a better position to knee your face and head with your left knee.
An attacker from the bathroom 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 you will not be able 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 will be surprised that you have learned some good fighting techniques and can take an offensive to free yourself. If you drop your purse, purse, or jacket during this hectic time, don’t look for it again. You must go out to a safe place. Keep your focus and objective and you will.