My rights cont'

To define what an attack is
To be healthy and happy
To ensure my own needs are met before tending to others
To feel like my body is my own
To feel comfortable in my workplace
To have sex only when I want to
To be loved unconditionally
To be loved for who I am and on my own terms
To feel joy
To be free to be me
To feel safe
To be me
To feel safe in my apartment
To feel however I feel
To fight for myself without apology
To flinch
To have my opinions heard and respected by those I care about
To have these scars
To just get out
To be protected
To laugh
To make my own decisions
To be treated with respect by my friends and (potential) boyfriend
To not be afraid to go to work
To have my space when I need it
To mourn for what was taken from me as a child
To my own space
To not “pay” for things in your past I did not do
To not always be available
To speak
To not be afraid to ask for help or for what I need
To my own time
To walk away
To not be cornered in conversation as I walk down the street
To be treated fairly and justly within my family and to remember that everyone has a past!
To set my own limits
To not be judged
To not be “over it” for someone else’s convenience
To walk around anytime of the day and not be attacked
To not live in fear of my family’s abuse
To protect myself from emotionally draining “friends”
To question
To repel all attacks with equal force
To think about something before responding
To walk mostly with men without being labeled a slut/whore
To say NO
To set boundaries
To sing
To sleep as much as I need to
To speak my mind without harassment
To take care of myself
To not be touched by strange men who seek my attention
To think about what *I* want and to do something about it
To travel freely without fear of harm
To voice my opinion without fear
To walk alone at night in safety
To work without harassment
To be respected and respect others equally
To have nightmares
To be angry at my abuser and those who didn’t protect me
To feel like my ideas are worthy of respect
To be respected by my co-workers

Send us your rights and we’ll put them on the list. Maybe we’ll print a poster of them all some day!

Run—Yell—Tell

Whether you are 5 or 95, this slogan for young children will help you remember your choices in a dangerous or threatening situation.

“Run” can mean leave, walk away, get out of there, run as fast as you can … any kind of getting away.

“Yell” can mean talk, set a limit, de-escalate (apologize, befriend the person, problem solve, etc.) yell as loud as you can, say “no” … any kind of using your voice. more»

“Tell” can mean getting help in the moment (“I need help! Call the police!”) or long term (like reporting a harasser to your workplace human resources department) or just telling someone who can support you about something upsetting that happened … any kind of getting help.

Consider these three things in every situation, even if for only a millisecond. Can I run or leave? Can I use my voice? Can I get help? If not, or if you try those strategies and they don’t work, hitting or complying are your other choices.

Run-yell-tell: a simple shorthand to help you remember what your options are!



		find a class bring us to you girlspeak about us f.a.q. what people say newsletter resources contact us site map		My rights cont' To define what an attack is To be healthy and happy To ensure my own needs are met before tending to others To feel like my body is my own To feel comfortable in my workplace To have sex only when I want to To be loved unconditionally To be loved for who I am and on my own terms To feel joy To be free to be me To feel safe To be me To feel safe in my apartment To feel however I feel To fight for myself without apology To flinch To have my opinions heard and respected by those I care about To have these scars To just get out To be protected To laugh To make my own decisions To be treated with respect by my friends and (potential) boyfriend To not be afraid to go to work To have my space when I need it To mourn for what was taken from me as a child To my own space To not “pay” for things in your past I did not do To not always be available To speak To not be afraid to ask for help or for what I need To my own time To walk away To not be cornered in conversation as I walk down the street To be treated fairly and justly within my family and to remember that everyone has a past! To set my own limits To not be judged To not be “over it” for someone else’s convenience To walk around anytime of the day and not be attacked To not live in fear of my family’s abuse To protect myself from emotionally draining “friends” To question To repel all attacks with equal force To think about something before responding To walk mostly with men without being labeled a slut/whore To say NO To set boundaries To sing To sleep as much as I need to To speak my mind without harassment To take care of myself To not be touched by strange men who seek my attention To think about what I want and to do something about it To travel freely without fear of harm To voice my opinion without fear To walk alone at night in safety To work without harassment To be respected and respect others equally To have nightmares To be angry at my abuser and those who didn’t protect me To feel like my ideas are worthy of respect To be respected by my co-workers Send us your rights and we’ll put them on the list. Maybe we’ll print a poster of them all some day! Run—Yell—Tell Whether you are 5 or 95, this slogan for young children will help you remember your choices in a dangerous or threatening situation. “Run” can mean leave, walk away, get out of there, run as fast as you can … any kind of getting away. “Yell” can mean talk, set a limit, de-escalate (apologize, befriend the person, problem solve, etc.) yell as loud as you can, say “no” … any kind of using your voice. more» “Tell” can mean getting help in the moment (“I need help! Call the police!”) or long term (like reporting a harasser to your workplace human resources department) or just telling someone who can support you about something upsetting that happened … any kind of getting help. Consider these three things in every situation, even if for only a millisecond. Can I run or leave? Can I use my voice? Can I get help? If not, or if you try those strategies and they don’t work, hitting or complying are your other choices. Run-yell-tell: a simple shorthand to help you remember what your options are! Recommended reading: My Answer is NO Do you have trouble saying NO? Pretty much every woman does. A new book takes a new approach to NO, covering situations from dealing with family and partners to work and doctors, and even to the dying. A self-defense chapter — “NOt on Your Life (saying NO to assault and harassment)” — holds lots of guidance from DEFEND YOURSELF’s Lauren Taylor. For example: “No takes all forms. It could be a serious look, a one-word answer (“NO”), a directive (“Take your hand off me,”), leaving an abusive relationship, a loud yell, or a strike that disables or distracts an attacker long enough to get away. We need all of these kinds of NOs because we face all kinds of situations in life.” See how this book can help you set limits with while maintaining the relationships that are important to you: www.myanswerisno.com

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