By now, I am pretty sure you must have read of the 6 secondary school students who were kidnapped, but fortunately were rescued from their abductors. While no one prays to be in such a situation, it is also not bad for one to prepare in readiness for such possibilities.
Let’s consider some of the steps that can be taken to prevent an abduction.
1. Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Always take safety precautions. If you are walking in a public place, always be aware of who’s around. Be attentive, don’t plug your ears with headphones. Make it a habit to spot an escape route every time you enter a new environment. It is also advisable that you avoid walking alone through quiet and dark places, and especially at night. If someone or something makes you uncomfortable, listen to your instincts no matter how irrational. Also ensure to vary your routes as this makes it difficult for would-be attackers to anticipate your plans.
2. Be Prepared to Resist
If you are in the vicinity of other people, and can easily get help; shout, scream and yell that you are not going with the person(s) voluntarily. Fight, bite, kick and scratch. Aim for sensitive spots. Poke the abductor in the eyes; if the perpetrator is a male, then kick him in the groin, but if you are too close to kick him there, then grab, squeeze and twist his testicles; scrape your foot hard against his shin; stomp on the top of his foot with your heel, or stomp out sideways into his knee.
Fight dirty – use your fingernails or your keys, anything to rake him across the eyes, a well-aimed punch to the throat can put down a man of any size, and a kick to his kidneys will also weaken him. Jump out of the vehicle, do anything to escape from them!
It is crucial that you do all you can in the first few minutes, because the kidnappers want to take you somewhere they can hurt you without risk to themselves. You may not live; so fight, hard and dirty because your life may well depend on it. Whatever you do, once you have started, do not stop until there is no doubt that you can get away safely. They are angry now, and are even more determined to hurt you. Hit with elbows and knees until the assailant is no longer capable of pursing the attack.
3. Make A Scene, and Ensure to Leave Evidence
Yell to get help. If it appears that you are relatively less able to fight or flee from a would-be abductor, involving others is sometimes the only chance of escape. Do not simply scream in terror or yell “help”. You should yell out the circumstances and a description of the attacker if at all possible: “A man with a knife is chasing me! He’s wearing a blue sweatshirt and torn jeans!” or “I’m being kidnapped! I don’t know this person!” or “Help! That’s not my mom/dad!” to other people or “I don’t know you! Leave me alone!” at the attacker.
Leave evidence by scratching notes, dripping blood, shuffling feet for footprints. All of which can serve as markers. If you take a few of their hairs and put them in your ear, or leave a bit of their skin under your fingernails by scratching them; even if they kill you, you have struck a blow for yourself. Leave clues, every one is a punch you can land despite your circumstances.
These are some of the steps you can take to prevent an abduction, but what if they succeed in kidnapping you. Is all hope lost? Can anything still be done to effect an escape? We shall consider that in the Part 2 of this topic.
See Also: 6 Students Kidnapped After They Took a Free Ride
