I don’t mean to put any of us in a state of fear, but I think it’s incredibly important to mention the disappearance of Jessie Davis. Missing for over a week, this twenty-six year old Ohio native is nearly nine months pregnant. While most of us think that something like this could never happen to us, it most certainly can. It’s important to understand that (unfortunately) as women, we need to take extra precautions.

Now, in NO WAY am I saying (even suggesting) that we are not capable of taking care of ourselves, but the reality is that physically women are not built the same way as men and this can be a disadvantage. Last semester, as part of my women studies club, we had a self defense group come and demonstrate to us how to protect ourselves if (heave forbid) we were ever in a serious and dangerous situation. It was helpful and eye opening. I was brought out of my invincible state of mind (as much as I would like to think I’m super woman, the reality is that only mentally am I). It’s tragic that we live in a world that requires you constantly be completely aware of your surroundings, but it isn’t just the United States…it’s the world. Protecting yourself is something that you need to take seriously wherever you are.

According to Now, The National Organization for Women, “every year approximately 132,000 women report that they have been victims of rape or attempted rape, and more than half of them knew their attacker.” This is an alarming number, and even more alarming is that many of them were familiar with the person attacking them.

What it all comes down to is that women need to be aware (especially younger girls growing into young adults) that something like this can happen to them. I don’t want all of you to run out and buy a can of pepper spray right now, but I think it is undoubtedly a fantastic idea to make sure that you live in reality and take preventative measures. As of now we don’t know what has caused the disappearance of Jessie Davis, but this isn’t the first time a women has disappeared because of assault by a man. By learning about how to protect yourself against assault, we can hopefully lower the rate of violence against women.