At around 4:00 AM, a 54-year old woman from Daraga, Albay who sold vegetables for a living was assaulted by a 20-year old who attempted to rape her.
According to her account, she was carrying her vegetables when she passed by the young man. He then choked her, covered her mouth, and then attempted to rape her.
Thankfully, she was able to escape when she kicked the man hard, which caused him to fall down a hill. Her rapist ran away while she looked for help nearby. The neighbor who helped her out recounted that when she found her, she was wearing nothing from the waist down.
The woman was a widow
The suspect was immediately caught, and has been arrested. According to the woman's family, they are both shocked and scared because of what happened.
According to reports, the woman who was assaulted has been widowed for 18 years, and that she relied on selling vegetables in order to support her family.
They will be pressing charges against the suspect who was identified as Christopher Luces, also a resident of the area.
Keep yourself safe
It's alarming to hear that someone attempted to rape a 54-year-old woman. It just shows that everyone, no matter what age, has to always be careful and alert. Here are some tips:
- If you're walking alone, especially at night, always be alert and aware of your surroundings. It's best if you can have someone walk with you or try walking in crowded places where there's visibility.
- If you have a cell phone, keep it handy in case you might need to make an emergency call for help.
- Be wary of strangers. These days, it's hard to be too trusting of people, especially strangers. Make sure to trust your gut, if you think that someone's not a safe person to be with, then avoid that person.
- If you're going out, tell someone you know. Send a text message to a relative, or a friend, if you're going somewhere so that in case you don't come back when you're supposed to, they can contact the authorities to help you if you get into some sort of trouble.
- Know some basic self-defense techniques. It's always good to know how to defend yourself in case someone tries to attack you. There are a lot of self-defense classes that are available, most especially for women, and they're not that expensive.
- Keep a whistle handy. Having a whistle is pretty useful, since it's a good way to call attention to yourself should you be attacked by someone.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com, cosmopolitan.com
READ: OFW mom of raped and murdered 17-year-old Mitzi Joy: ‘Sana ako na lang ang namatay’
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