> Features > Pg 2 Feature Stories > R.A.D. program educates and empowers women
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R.A.D. program educates and empowers women
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A R.A.D. participant practices her technique on a local police officer during a simulation. Reminder photo by Natasha Clark
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By Natasha Clark
Assistant Managing Editor
News Analysis
We've all seen it on TV: A classroom full of women standing in a circle while a guy (heavily padded) is being kicked or punched by a woman who is screaming "No!"
These scripted self-defense class scenes are almost comical.
What wasn't so funny is that when I showed up to take my first R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) class the instructor said that each year only about 90,000 forcible rapes are reported to the police. I use the word "only" because it is estimated that almost 90 percent of all rapes and attempted rapes are not reported at all.
I was also a little caught off guard because the first class wasn't so much about physical defense as it was about understanding why we were all there. They told us about sex offenders and their categories: Level 1 "low risk" offender;
Level 2 "moderate risk" offender;
Level 3 "high risk" offender.
There are four Level 3 and nine Level 2 offenders living in Wilbraham, two Level 3 and 21 Level 2 in East Longmeadow, two Level 2 in Hampden, and 92 Level 3 and 315 Level 2 in Springfield. And these are just the ones that have been caught.
They told us that we should be angry. I am. That is one of the reasons I signed on to the course. I am angry that whether I am walking to my apartment, the grocery store or leaving my gym that I should wonder if there is some creep in the shadows planning to rape, maim, or rob me. Every human being on the face of this planet should have a right to walk safely down the street. Unfortunately that is not a reality and so there are classes like these to teach women and children how to get away from an attacker.
"Get away" are the key words. Our instructors reminded us on a continuous basis that these techniques are not taught to us so we can go a few rounds with a scumbag in some dark parking lot, but to protect ourselves until there is an opportunity for us to escape.
My class was made up of adult women, some mother and daughter duos, and teenagers from the surrounding area.
R.A.D. can only be taught by police officers that have received certification to do so. A man, other than the certified officer(s), can not participate in the course nor can they witness the training. However, any woman can become a trainer. They often assist police officers with the training.
That was how I met Kathleen Winiewicz. She assisted Wilbraham Police Officers Peter Laviolette, Gregory Caputo and Mark Paradis in our course.
"I took my first class four years ago [with Mark Paradis] ... This is street fighting and that's what you need out there. I was so impressed I took it over again with him. Then I took it a third time and I said 'I think I want to be an instructor,'" Winiewicz said. "There is so many vulnerable women especially middle-aged women."
She said it is so rewarding to see a R.A.D. participant's confidence build over the extent of the class.
At the beginning of every class I was buzzing with nervous energy. After a warm up and rehearsing the techniques of the previous class my shyness faded a bit and by the end of the session I felt empowered.
The class had a casual atmosphere where we could ask questions at any time. There were even some instances when they asked you to pair up with a partner and practice some of the moves, rather then on the punching bags we normally hit that are held by the instructors.
Like most sister-in-laws mine had no problem grabbing me by the ponytail and mock choking me. One time I had trouble with loosening her hands on my throat. Officer Caputo tried to show me how it was properly done and it spooked me not that he had personally did something to unnerve me, but the thought of someone cutting off my air supply like that gave me chills.
I suppose that is why I did not participate in the simulation on the last day of class. I do recommend it though. Simulation is when the instructors dress up in protective gear and act out possible scenarios while R.A.D. participants practice what they've learned on them.
As I photographed my classmates demonstrating what they have learned it actually made me tear up.
The truth of the matter is that we all were participating in this class because of grim circumstances.
According to a 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey, 73 percent of sexual assaults were perpetrated by a non-stranger 38 percent of perpetrators were a friend or acquaintance of the victim, 28 percent were an intimate partner and seven percent were another relative.
R.A.D. aids in you in attempting to defend yourself against sexual assaults by teaching you how to be aware of your surroundings.
Here's what I discovered about myself (maybe some of you are guilty of this too):
No matter how bad I do not want my new car to get scratched, parking it toward the end of a parking lot is not a safe idea.
Turning my front porch light off before I go to bed, in order to save a few dollars on my electric bill, means that if someone were attempting to break into my home, the chances of a neighbor or pedestrian seeing them in the act is slim.
I need to be aware of who I am stepping on to an elevator with.
Women are not physically powerless against men.
Paradis said he would like to make R.A.D. a class in local high schools.
Write letters to your local school committees and community leaders about your school district possibly offering the course. These same classes could benefit your mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters. There are also R.A.D. classes available for children.
Contact your local police departments to see when R.A.D. programs will be offered.
While I hope that none of us are ever in the situation to be sexually assualted, I am relieved that there are programs like R.A.D. and people like Winiewicz and Officers Laviolette, Caputo and Paradis, giving women like me a fighting chance.
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> Features > Pg 2 Feature Stories > R.A.D. program educates and empowers women
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