Even if a woman is not a strong fighter, she has a powerful weapon that she can use.

This weapon is her voice. Screaming has proved to be an effective method of deterring a rapist. Interestingly, an Israelite girl in ancient times was obligated to scream if attacked.​—Deut. 22:23-27.

The power of a scream was illustrated when a woman was called on in a radio script to scream. She had never done so before. When she finally cut loose with all her might, the stunned group reacted: “Please don’t ever do that again!” It had actually frightened them. Just for practice, try sometime screaming with all the energy you can muster. Keep in mind that you have available this powerful weapon, and use it if need be.

On the other hand, resistance has time and again saved women from being raped, and even killed. The rapist-murderer Albert DeSalvo, known as the “Boston Strangler,” chose women he could intimidate. A waitress who resisted him, biting his finger to the bone, and keeping up a loud, sustained scream, was neither raped nor killed. He fled from her in anger and confusion.