Hold back your nail polish, lip-gloss, hair clips and bouts of giggles. This is not about the oh-so cute guys available in Sri Cempaka (or lack thereof). Nor is this gossip about that girl with pigtails and her nose up in the air whom I heard backstabbed her best friend! Neither is this about the hot new couple secretly holding hands at the back of class. Sorry to disappoint, but we have a much graver topic at hand today: Sexual Assault, Rape and Murder.

I know (well, at least I sincerely hope), all of you shudder at the thought and wonder which human being could be so heartless and cruel to commit such cold-blooded crimes. Unfortunately, we have to accept the fact that there are people in this world who are not blessed with Jimminy Cricket as their conscience, or any conscience at all, for that matter. As such, rape and murder cases have become an increasingly common occurrence around the globe in recent years.

These rape cases may fail to affect you and sound distant to you, but how far-off is The Curve? Or the basement car park of One Utama? Rape cases can happen anywhere. Perhaps you treat rape cases you’ve heard about as mere stories, fiction created by adults and the newspapers deliberately designed to scare you witless. You’re probably all ready to disregard it, shrug it off and convince yourself that nothing of that sort could ever happen to you, anyway. Don’t. This is real. Real lives lost. Real women raped and killed. Real girls just like you and me.

Does it still feel surreal to you?

Well, close your eyes and picture yourself as the victim. You are struggling against your attacker, your legs flaying aimlessly and your arms grasping only the air; fighting with every ounce of strength and will you posses to get free, but your valiant effort is in vain as your whole life flashes in front of you. Can you imagine being that girl? Probably not. So here are a few safety measures I suggest every girl take.

1. Pepper spray. Don’t roll your eyes; I know what you’re thinking. “Yeah right! Like I’m going to carry pepper spray around in my handbag!” Trust me, it won’t be stupid when you encounter a rapist head on. Wouldn’t it comforting to have your pepper spray do all the dirty work for you?
   
2. Avoid eye contact with strangers, especially in dodgy places. I’m all for being friendly and warm, but friendliness has a price too high to pay in this case. Would you rather be that stuck up girl or the girl who just got raped?
   
3. Do not travel alone. Go everywhere in groups, especially the toilets. My mum reminds me every time I go out with friends to stick together. And though I may not like to admit it, it is very sound advice.
   
4. Kick him where it hurts the most. If the guy doesn’t know what’s good for him and persists, fall back the age old ‘Twist, Knee and Push’ rule. If a swine of man tries to lay his grimy paws on you, clutch hold of his arm and twist it as hard as you can. Then put your long legs to good use and knee him in the crotch, hard. Remember to inflict as much pain as humanly possible. Finally, when your rapist- turned-victim moans in agony, shove him onto the ground. Show no mercy, girls, they deserve it.
   
5. Run. Yep, if all else fails, run and scream as if your life depends on it. Because it does.