The Meaning of Health Essay

The definitions that people have attributed to health have changed over time and today there are many ways of viewing health, which makes measurement difficult. Health in Western Societies tends to be defined as simply the absence of illness and disease because of the dominance of medicine in these societies (Naidoo & Wills, 2001). However, this definition has been criticised as being incomplete by many health professionals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) agree that health no longer refers to the mere absence of disease and illness, but it is a dynamic lifelong process in which the physical, mental, social, environmental and spiritual dimensions are considered essential (Donatelle & Davis, 1994). Rene Dubos added to this WHO definition of health by stating Health is a quality of life, involving social, emotional, mental, spiritual and biological fitness on the part of the individual, which results from adaptations to the environment (Donatelle & Davis, 1994). As a result of these many different dimensions of health in Dubos and the WHO definitions, Dubos believed that it is not possible for people to achieve perfect health. To be perfectly healthy in each dimension, people would have to be perfectly adapted to their environment, a situation he believed was unattainable and this is what led him to state that the concept of perfect and positive health is a utopian creation of the human mind (1980, p.346). To be perfectly and positively healthy, according to each of the dimensions in the WHO and in Dubos definitions of health, we would need to be healthy physically. This includes such characteristics as body size and shape, susceptibility to disease, ability to perform certain tasks, body functioning and sensory acuity (Donatelle & Davis, 1994). We also would need to be socially healthy, which refers to our ability to adapt to various social situations and our ability to have satisfying interpersonal relationships. Mentally we would need to be healthy, which would include the ability to learn and perform intellectual abilities. We would need to be emotionally healthy, which refers to our ability to control emotions so that we feel comfortable expressing them when appropriate as well as expressing them appropriately (Donatelle & Davis,1994). Environmentally we would also need to be healthy. We would need to appreciate our external environment and play a role in preserving, protecting and improving environmental conditions (Donatelle & Davis, 1994). Finally, we would need to be spiritually healthy. This refers to a belief in a higher form of living or a specified way of living because of a particular religion (Donatelle & Davis, 1994). Spirituality is a sense of unity, meaning and value with nature, others and the environment, which encourages us to care and respect other things (Donatelle & Davis, 1994). The closer we become to achieving the ideal level of functioning and balance between each of these above dimensions, the closer we are to achieving a high level of health (Donatelle & Davis, 1994). Basically, the closer people get to their potential in Dubos five dimensions of health, the more healthy they will be (Dubos, 1980). People with an illness or disability are usually seriously deficient in one or more of the health dimensions. Dubos emphasised however, that we cannot become balanced at an equal level in all these dimensions. He believes that people in the real world face the physical, biological and social forces

of their environment, which are forever changing, usually in an unpredictable manner, and frequently for dangerous consequences for themselves as people and for the human species in general (Dubos, 1980). Therefore, the concept of perfect and positive health is not realistic or achievable because of peoples continuously changing environments. In conclusion, the concept of health has been given a considerable amount of research, which has caused its definition to change dramatically over the years. The multidimensional definitions of health by the WHO and Dubos has altered the concept that some people hold of perfect and positive health. This concept of perfect and positive health cannot become reality because people will never be so adapted to their environment that their lives will not involve struggles, failures and sufferings (Dubos, 1980). Man and his species are in perpetual struggle with microbes, with incompatible mothers-in-law, with drunken car drivers and with cosmic rays from Outer Space The positiveness of health does not lie in the state, but in the struggle the effort to reach a goal which in its perfection is unattainable (Dubos 1980, p.349). However, this utopia of positive health, like other ideals, allows people to set goals and helps medical science to chart its course toward these goals (Dubos, 1980). Health these days is no longer seen as a state, that can be modified to perfection, but as a process towards the achievement of each persons potential (Naidoo & Wills, 2001).

Healthy living

Health is described as physical and mental well-being and freedom from disease, pain or defect. However, such descriptions only superficially define the actually meaning of health. There may be many occasions when individuals are not necessarily ill or in pain but may be overweight, stressed or emotionally unstable. Health is a quality of life involving dynamic interaction and interdependence among the individual's physical state, their mental and emotional reactions, and the social context in which the individual exists. There are many factors that influence your health, but three major components contribute to general well-being: Selfawareness, a balanced diet and, regular physical activity. In order to lead a healthy lifestyle, it is essential that individuals constantly monitor their health. This involves not only physical, but also mental and emotional aspects of the body's functioning, as they relate to the home, school, work, and leisure environments. If necessary changes are made sooner rather than later, then a stable, balanced and healthy lifestyle will be more consistently maintained. In fact, the World Health Organization says being healthy is feeling that there are few physical or emotional impediments to doing things in your life that you would like. For example, there are many people who are suffering from chronic illnesses who are healthy because they are able to maintain their creativity and vivacity when others cannot. It is evident that self-awareness encompasses the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of health.The foods we eat are also major players in the quest for healthy living as they provide us with a variety of essential nutrients required for normal bodily activities. Many foods are packed with good energy, like complex carbohydrates and protein while others are loaded with fats and sugars which only pose as shortterm energizers. However, as our "fast-food" society continues to stay busy and on the go at all times the realities of the old adage "you are what you eat" begins to fade. Forgetting about the importance of a balanced diet and eating fattening foods begins to clog the heart with cholesterol and fat which results in a slowed metabolism. This is why over 70% of our society is overweight today.Contributing to the slowed

metabolism mentioned previously is the absence of regular physical activity. Physical fitness is a necessity in order to live a long healthy life. Furthermore, there are many benefits of physical fitness like endurance, good figure, muscular strength, and flexibility. In fact, physical fitness also introduces mental benefits, including a positive attitude, high selfesteem, and the production of endorphins, which act as a natural painkiller. Studies show that a fit person is likely to have more motivation to reach goals and is also more relaxed than one who is unfit. Regular physical activity can be a stress reliever and can cause one to sleep better. Regular physical activities, like running or walking, taking the stairs over the elevator, bicycling or even weight-lifting reduce heart disease and risk of colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.Being healthy is a combination of the aforementioned factors - self-awareness, a balanced diet, and regular physical activity - which over time, shape and mold the life of a human being. A truly healthy being is not only the absent of disease, but also maintains a positive health status - a well-being, the ability to be active and productive in ones life. Being healthy is first with the mind, having a sense of balance in life, also eating well, being able to exercise and being fully active. Lacking any of these components will surely result with a feeling of dissatisfaction concerning personal health.

Smoking Banned from all Public Places

Hello, this essay's issue is about smoking being banned from all public places. There is no point in endangering your health and also someone elses in these public places. You are harming other people while you smoke around them. There is no need of risking your life for one little cigarette. The whole idea of people letting smoke in public places and endangering other peoples health is foolish and cannot be supported by any evidence. It is not right for smokers to be endangering someone elses life, and getting away with it. Smoking should be stopped because it wastes a lot of money, and is very addictive. Also, it is bad for the smokers health to smoke tobacco because of the very disgusting and weird ingredients in tobacco. Smoking is not right and we should all quit before we get a bad habit of it. The numbers of smokers are not declining.

When I say that smoking is bad for everybody, I mean every body including people who do not smoke. Children are in more risk of getting asthma by consuming the smoke a cigarette gives off because they breathe more rapidly than adults do. Its not just kids either, but non-smoking food service workers are more likely to have gotten lung cancer than other non-smokers. So, smoking has a big effect on public places and should be taken seriously. Even doctors in Canada say second-hand smoking kills about 3,000 Canadian citizens each year. A leading cause of asthma that leads to high hospitalization for children is in-fact second-hand smoking. When people come in contact with second-hand smoke people may experience headaches, or nose and throat irritation. Also, they are in risk of respiratory illness, including asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis. Tobacco is made with extremely harmful substances, such as pesticides, carbon monoxide, and nicotine that is a drug. If the ingredients inside tobacco are burned they are even more deadly and harmful. Some ingredients in a puff include: benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, acetone, and ammonia. These are harmful substances like formaldehyde is a preservative for dead bodies, ammonia in fertilizers, pesticides, and detergents, and toluene in gasoline, paint solvents, and anti-freeze. More than 40 chemicals in tobacco cause heart disease lung diseases, and cancer in people. Smoking is harmful to your body; it is known that 40,000 Canadians will die from smoking this year, and it is the leading cause of diseases and deaths, which couldve been prevented. Smoking has become a problem; the number of Canadian smokers is not decreasing. Also, Smoking causes more deaths than alcohol, AIDS, elicit drugs, car crashes, murders, and suicides put together. A powerful ingredient called nicotine causes most of this. Even though smokers who want to quit cant, because of the addiction nicotine causes. Nicotine addiction is very powerful and hard to fight off, however it is possible to avoid it in groups. Another argument I have against public smoking is health. If you continue to consume tobacco you will lose, a healthy heart, healthy lungs, healthy body, control, up to 15 years average in health, and many more. Smoking causes a lot of harmful things in you and outside your body. Some affects are: irregular heart beat, make your heart work harder by narrowing vessels so its harder to pump up blood, raises blood level which makes heart pump harder than normal, decreases the amount of oxygen in your body so the heart has to work harder to get oxygen to the body and other reasons. It is a major cause of cancers like mouth cancer, lung cancer, throat cancer, and cancer of the oesophagus. It can also cause cancers of the kidney, bladder, and pancreas. There are 3 major companies that produce tobacco products and make a huge profit, 1of the 3 major companies earns about $705 million each year at your health expense. While these huge corporations are making millions, thousands of Canadians are dying at their expense. Smoking can cause serious problems like: addiction, stomach ulcers, brittle bones, eye problems, sleep problems, and tooth and gum problem. The reason for non-decreasing smokers is young adults. There are about 30% of young smokers in Canada. Kids smoke or chew tobacco for a number of reasons; because their friends smoke or chew, or parents smoke or chew, parents dont want them to chew, popularity, ads, pop stars or idols smoke, and

others. Consuming tobacco can make you look very disgusting like chewing tobacco eventually causes it to eat a hole through your lip, make your teeth yellow, causes premature wrinkles and chemicals in tobacco cause lung and throat cancer. Cigarette producers target kids because they get easily addicted, and become regular smokers. Also, it is easy for kids to buy cigarettes and much of the sellers dont ask the age of the buyers even though it is a law not to sell tobacco to kids. To conclude my essay smoking should be banned from all public places because it endangers other peoples health and creates a harmful environment. It can be seen, from the evidence I have given, that it is foolish to allow people smoke in public places and it should be outlawed.

Research Proposal on Climate Change

The Scientific American journal recently reported the impact human civilization has on Earths climate, and the obstacles scientists face in mapping global climate changes. The article is titled, The Human Impact on Climate, by Thomas R. Karl, and Kevin E. Trenberth. Evidence shows that humans negatively affect the Earth in many ways. For example, burning of fossil fuels in power plants and automobiles eject particles and gases that change the composition of the atmosphere, and cast a milky haze into the sky. Invisible gases, such as carbon dioxide, remain in the atmosphere for at least ten years. Another example is the destruction of forests. This eliminates trees that would have lowered the risk of the greenhouse effect by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. Until now the climate changes caused by humans have been modest, but it is thought that these effects will be severely noticed in the near future. Unfortunately, we are unable to explain the amount of damage humans cause the environment, therefore we are unable to develop proper strategies for avoiding disruptive alterations. More accurate climate models and long term climate records must be constructed before we can predict the future of the Earth, but the technology we have today is inadequate. Even the most advanced global models cannot simulate conditions such as cloud cover and the formation of rain, and with so many changing variables on Earth, the simulation of one century can take several months. Presently no United States or international institution has the mandate or resources to monitor long-term climate. Until that technology is available we must keep accurate records of observations, and we need to know how the climate has already changed. Slowing down the negative impact humans have on Earths climate, and planning for the future must be an international effort. I assumed that with the level of technology we have today we could easily model climate patterns, and have a good understanding of the past and future of the Earth. After reading this article, I know that is not true. Scientists must overcome numerous obstacles before we will be able to predict the future of the Earth. These obstacles include advancement in technology, and long-term international climate monitoring. Our computers are not fast enough, and do not have the capability of properly monitoring global climate patterns. Conservation of the Earth must be an international effort because Earths circulation systems spread the consequences all around the World. However, It seems almost impossible to monitor the changes internationally because of the resources required for decades of surveys. Third world countries do not have the means for this type of extensive research. The future of the Earth should be a major concern to humans everywhere, yet very little is being done to determine how much of an impact we have, and the long-term climate changes we have brought about.

Global Warming Essay

Global warming is one of the most challenging environmental problems in existence today. It threatens the health of the earths inhabitants and the worlds economies every day. With global warming comes longer and more intense heat waves and storms. Along with those climate changes, come more pests which in turn can carry devastating diseases. Forestry and farming are feeling the negative impact of global warming and were also seeing traces of a devastated ecosystem. To prevent further damage and begin repairing the damaging effects of global warming, policies must be implemented and diligently enforced. Energy conservation is the only policy that I would put into effect. This policy would be very broad; encompassing as many aspects of energy use as possible. The first item on the table would be to force automobile manufacturers to only produce vehicles with high MPG ratings and eventually to develop new models that are not run on gasoline alone. Such vehicles are known as hybrids and are run on a combination of electricity and gasoline. Currently, the technology is available to manufacture cars with 40+ mpg ratings, however, the concern lies with the increasing number of trucks and SUVs that are known worldwide as gas-guzzlers. These larger vehicles are becoming more and more prevalent and currently do not meet any efficiency standards. Requiring that all new SUVs and trucks from this point forward be as fuel efficient as their smaller counterparts, would be a large step in the way of vehicle efficiency and pave the way for less gasoline reliance. This in turn will allow for fewer emissions of carbon dioxide from the vehicles that we have all come to rely on for our sole source of transportation. The next policy to implement would be that technology be developed to make all appliances run efficiently; from refrigerators and stoves on down to video game equipment and lamps. Every piece of machinery or device that we own uses energy in some way, shape, or form. Large pieces of industrial equipment and even residential equipment require a lot of energy to run thereby contributing to the worlds air pollution. If we would require that manufacturers of such items follow strict guidelines of energy efficiency, not only would users save money, but energy use would be at a minimum and thus, less air pollution would be created. Some headway is being made in this area, but not enough and not nearly fast enough. We see most progress being made in the residential areas: examples are Energy Star appliances and compact, fluorescent light bulbs. However, everything coming onto the market needs to be required to be energy efficient according to pre-determined standards and we cant continue to bypass the industrial aspect of this. The last policy that I would implement revolves around recycling. I would require that all packaging be recyclable and that it be made from recycled materials. Recycling helps the environment by conserving our natural resources, saving energy, reducing air and water pollution, and reducing the need for landfill space. Currently, many recycling programs are in place worldwide, but there are no policies that enforce its unequivocal use, yet this is one of the easiest ways of protecting our environment. In order for my policy to be successful, all businesses and consumers need to actively participate. Following the reduce, reuse, and recycle methodology will help to reduce the amount of energy that is used during the elimination of waste products.

Air Pollution Essay

The Sources and Affects of Air Pollution (topic): Air pollution is the contamination of the air by noxious gases and small particles of solid and liquid matter in amounts that can cause harm to living organisms. Sources of air pollution include: transportation engines such as automobiles, power and heat generation, industrial processes, and the burning of solid waste. The combustion of gasoline and other fuels in automobiles, trucks, and jet airplanes produce the most common pollutants, nitrogen oxides, gaseous hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, as well as particles of matter like lead. When nitrogen oxides combine with hydrocarbons they form other types of pollutants, like ozone, peroxyacetylnitrate which stings the eyes, and nitrogen dioxide which forms when nitrogen oxides react with oxygen. In cities where transportation is the major cause of pollution, nitrogen dioxide colors the sky brown, because the nitrogen dioxide has combined with other forms of pollution and water vapor to produce smog. In cities, air is may not only be polluted by transportation but also by the burning of fossil fuels in industrial buildings and by the incineration of garbage, these types of combustion pollute the air with large amounts of sulfur oxides that cause damage to man made structures and kill plants. Air pollution has affects the environment and the health of people in a negative manor. Sulfur oxides raises the incidence of respiratory diseases in people, and it also creates a form of rain that contains high levels of sulfuric or nitric acids that pollute drinking water, vegetation, destroy aquatic life and erode man-made structures. Air pollution may also possibly harm urban populations in ways too subtle or slow for us to recognize. The subtle effects of air pollution necessitates research in order to assess the possible long-term affects of constant exposure to low levels of pollution as well as determine how air pollutants interact with each other and other substances within the human body. Air pollution is also causing the increasing damage to the ozone layer above Antarctica, as well as contributing to the depletion of ozone in the planets atmosphere. The depletion of ozone will cause the amount of ultraviolet radiation that reaches the earth will increase, which will burn crops and plants and endanger the lives of living organisms on the planet. This type of air pollution is caused mainly by CFCs, from refrigerators, air conditions and sprays. Due to the serious dangers air pollutions cause to the health of people, governments have recently implemented plans to reduce the amounts of pollution that enter the atmosphere. Governments hope to decrease pollution by setting new emission standards for new factories and extremely hazardous industrial pollutants. The government in the United States is beginning to regulate the amount of pollutants a plant is allowed to expel as well, as well as making sure they implement safety and cleaning procedures that will reduce the amount of needless pollution produced. Also steps are being taken to reduce pollution, ideally the use of fossil fuels would have to be eliminated in order to achieve a complete stop to the production of air pollutants, some countries have initiated studies into alternative sources of energy and different types of transportation engines but these have yet to be implemented.

Teen smoking

The differences between subjective feelings of those who smoke and those who dont are shown in behavioral changes that are more apparent in teens than adults. Teens seem to be more abrasive when smoking or they feel like they are older and wiser when they smoke. Why do they smoke when we have seen billions of dollars spent on antismoking campaigns? The American Lung Association estimates that every minute four thousand eight hundred teens will take their first drag off a cigarette. Of those four thousand eight hundred, about two thousand will go on to be chain smokers. The fact that teen smoking rates are steadily increasing is disturbing. We are finding out that about 80% of adult smokers started smoking as teenagers. We now see a lot of smokers giving each other rewards in social aspects such as conversations, companionships, and other common social contacts. Research has proven the fact that nicotine has the ability to suppress feelings, suppress appetite for food, is used as stimulation after sex, and is a good way to relax from troubles and feelings of insecurities. People that smoke go to designated areas and congregate around the one that has the light, even when the weather is sub-zero. There they are huddled up against each other in an area, taking in the last drag before the break is over, or they find some kind of shelter to smoke their cigarettes. Teens like to act as if they are someone special or dangerous. By smoking they can act on those feelings. Because it is so forbidden it becomes more alluring to teens. The problem is that when they take that first puff, they can become addicted. The idea that they are breaking the law or going against their parents and schools is an addiction within itself. Kids like to get attention; it does not matter if its good attention or bad attention. They crave attention and by smoking they get big attention. The other teens look at them in all kinds of ways and the adults get upset and dont know what to do. Nicotine is considered the number one entrance drug into other substance abuse problems. Research shows that teens between 13 and 17 years of age who smoke daily are more likely to use other drug substances. The use of other drugs is part of the peer pressure that our children have to face. The earlier that our youth begin using tobacco, the more likely they will continue using into adulthood. This is the truth about cigarettes; they are loaded with harmful chemicals and the end result is that they are a dangerous drug that can seriously harm people.

Child Prostitution In Asia

Children as Chattels Close your eyes. Imagine a young girl about six tied to a bed in a brothel and forced to service fifteen to thirty men in one night. Imagine this girl living in poverty, after all promises of selling herself told of riches. Now imagine this girl is your own. These are not pretty thoughts, but these actions are commonplace in Asia. In the February 1995 issue of World & I, Christopher P. Baker discusses his findings in the article, Kiddy Sex-Luring the Tourist for Love Beneath the Palms. In Asia more than half of the working prostitutes are under the age of 16, many of those are under the age of ten. Most people who hear the staggering statistics, just like me, ask why. There are many answers, and none of them could possibly justify the sexual exploitation of children. Many tourists and locals for that matter think that children will be less likely to carry the AIDS virus, which is a misconception. It is estimated that 72.4% of the child prostitutes in Asia carry HIV. Many Asian men also believe that sex with a virgin will rejuvenate them, and that sex with a virgin will cure venereal disease. Many different countries have been promoting the brothels by selling child sex tours. Police also keep their information about brothels and pimps quiet, making Asia a prime pedophile playground. Pedophiles who find the laws in their countries too strict can go off to Asia and find themselves young girls, or boys. Many of the non-pedophile tourists believe child prostitution to be custom, or feel they are helping the children. What these people dont know is that most of these children do not keep their earnings. Of course the main reason for the child prostitution in Asia is poverty. Many child prostitutes are sold by their parents for about $350-$600. Others are lured by the promise of respectable work, while others are kidnapped and held captive in brothels. These children are then required to work off their debt to the owner, usually only receiving $3-$4 for each client, where $2-$3 goes for room and board. Most of these children are on call 24 hours a day, and receive no payment at all. Child prostitution is illegal in Asia just as in the U.S. The main difference is police in Asia are so corrupt they actually stand guard for the brothels. The UN has also taken steps to help stop child prostitution in Asia. It is a travesty to allow children to be treated this way. The only future a country has is its youth, and it is a shame to see them so defiled. Children for Sale Shel Silverstein wrote a poem that I read when I was very young that told the tale of gypsies coming to buy the towns children. These thoughts put the fear of God in me as a child, but they are a reality in Asia. Many of the child prostitutes in Asia were bought from or sold by their families to the gypsies. Cameron W. Barr talks about child prostitutes in Asia in his article Asias Traffickers Keep Girls in Sexual Servitude, in the August 22, 1996 edition of Christian Science Monitor. Many of the children brought into prostitution in Asia are bought from their families. Others are lured by promises of wealth, some are kidnapped, and all end up as indentured sexual slaves to brothel owners. Because of poverty families end up having to sell children like cattle or chickens in order to live. Many families rationalize that their children will then find work and not have to live in poverty. This simply isnt so. Most of the children sold into prostitution find themselves in third-class brothels in the same poverty they left, and being forced to perform sexual acts for the material gain of pimps, and contracting incurable diseases like HIV. Those who are not cooperative are drugged, beaten and even tied to the beds. On the other side there are other child prostitutes that are accepting of their fate because it was the wish of the family. Most probably these girls will never escape. Police and politicians are all in on the child sex trade in some degree or another. Because the economy is so bad in most of rural Asia children will continue to be sold as sex slaves, and politicians will continue to hide it, all for the love of the almighty dollar.

Rape That is the number of women that were raped in 1995 (RAINN 1). That is equivalent of one woman being raped every two minutes (RAINN 1). Want more numbers? In the last two years, more than 787,000 women were the victim of a rape or sexual assault (RAINN 1). And one more statistic that might get your attention is that only 37% of rapes are reported to the authorities (RAINN 2). Fortunately, there are ways to drastically reduce these numbers. For starters women need to know what constitutes rape. Second women need to know how to prevent rape before it starts, and lastly women need to know what to do if they are raped. According to the book Our Bodies Our Selves, rape is defined as ...any kind of sexual activity committed against a woman's will (Avery 135). When a person says the word rape, people automatically think of a stranger jumping out of the bushes or chasing you down an ally. But, the most common form of rape is called acquaintance rape or date rape. Acquaintance rape is defined as forced, manipulated or coerced sexual contact by someone you know (gopher.uchicago 1). Acquaintance rape can occur by someone you have just met, or dated a few times, or even with someone to whom you are engaged (Hughes 1). Acquaintance rape accounts for about 60% of all rapes reported (Hughes 1). According to Hughes, date rape usually occurs when a man and a woman are alone whether in a car or at home (2). Also drugs and alcohol sometimes play an important factor in date rape. Many victims say later that they drank too much or took too many drugs to realize what was going on by the time they realized their predicament, it was too later (Hughes 2). Another reason acquaintance rape occurs is mixed signals. For example, the woman acts friendly ...the man interprets this friendliness as an invitation to have sex and when a woman says no she means maybe (Hughes 2). The reason that men do this is because they are taught to be aggressive and controlling at an early age. Men need to realize that this attitude can lead to date rape and should not look at women as sex objects. Women need to be aware of men like this to prevent being raped. Since acquaintance rape and stranger rape can occur at any time, women should know how to prevent rape before it starts. There are many steps you can take to prevent being raped. The first step is to be psychologically prepared. Women must accept the fact that they are a potential rape victim (ncf.carleton 1). The second step is to be aware of community rape prevention and counseling. The third psychological step is to recognize the locations and situations where rape is more likely to occur, and avoid them. After being psychologically prepared women must know what to do in each of the following situations: in your car, on the street, and in your home. When you are in your car you should follow these instructions (ncf.carleton 2). 1. Keep windows and doors locked 2. If you should be followed into your driveway, stay in your car with the doors locked. Sound horn to get the attention of neighbors or scare the other driver off. 3. When parking at night, select a place that will be well lit when returning to the car. 4. Always make sure the car is locked, and have the keys ready when returning to the car. 5. Check interior of car before getting in. The following information will be useful when you are on the street. 1. Be observant of things around you. If someone is following you, go to the nearest house or store. 2. Walk near the curb and avoid passing close to shrubbery, dark doorways and other places of concealment. 3. DO NOT HITCHHIKE. 4. Avoid short cuts through parking lots and alleys. 5. Walk with a friend if at all possible. Don't walk alone. 6. When arriving home by taxi or private auto, ask the driver to wait until you get inside. 7. Don't jog in secluded areas 8. Know the location of the special emergency phones on campus. Finally when you are in your home you should use the following precautions. 1. The best lock cannot function if you fail to lock it. Be sure to keep your doors locked. 2. All windows should have secure locks and frames. 3. All entrances and garages should be well-lit 4. Never open the door after a knock. Require the person to give their name. In the case of service persons ask for proper I.D. and refuse entrance if you feel uneasy. All of the previous steps to avoid being raped were provided by the ncf.carleton web site. The third aspect of this paper deals with the unfortunate situation of being raped. There is a long list of things that you need to do if you are raped. The first and foremost part is to stay alive. Being raped might be a terrible thing, but it is much better than being dead. If by some chance you see an escape from your attacker, and there is very little risk of being hurt you should go for it (ncf.carleton 3). If you cannot

get away then scream FIRE or POLICE, don't scream rape because people are less likely to get involved. After the incident you should report it to the police as soon as possible (ncf.carleton 3). Jean O'Gorman Hughes provided this checklist of what you need to do after being raped: 1. Go to a friends house 2. Get medical attention 3. Report the attack to police 4. Consider whether you want to file charges with the police 5. Get help and support, such as counselling 6. Write a letter to the rapist 7. DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF It is very important that you do not shower or clean yourself off after being raped until you have got medical attention. You may possibly have evidence such as hair, semen, or blood from your attacker on your body, clothes, or hair. If you take a shower or clean yourself off then you have literally washed all the evidence down the drain. Finally if you have been raped you can find comfort in counselling. There are many organizations that can help you get though the tough times that may follow. Women go though the Rape Trauma Syndrome and it is very difficult to deal with on their own. One organization that helps women deal with rape is the Rape, Assault, and Incest National Network (RAINN). They have a toll free number and will connect you to a shelter/counselling center in your area free of charge. There are many different forms of rape. There are many different things that you can do to prevent rape. There are many different places you can go if you are raped. It can happen to anybody (males included). It is a difficult situation to deal with, but we can help reduce the number of rapes if we use are heads. It is not an overnight solution, but if women follow these previous steps the rapes in this country will decline over time. And besides, that 1995 total of rapes 354,670 is 354,670 too many.