Self-defence against sexual assault a big lesson for college students

A self-defence demonstration for teenagers. The University of Chicago student who was assaulted recently had recognised the danger she was in, and identified the tool she had available to her - her teeth - to fend off her attacker. Photo: TNS

When a University of Chicago, USA student fought off a would-be sexual assault by biting her attacker recently, it was an encouraging example of female empowerment. It was also, in some ways, a sign of the times.

Discouraged by police in the 1980s and dismissed as victim-blaming in the 1990s, self-defence against sexual assault has gotten a big boost in the past five years, thanks to new studies showing a reduction in sexual assault among women who take courses on how to fend off unwanted advances.