Ellington

Every 18 seconds a woman is battered somewhere in the United States. One in seven women who are currently attending college have been raped. One in six U.S. women have experienced a rape attempt.

These statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Justice illuminate some dangers many young women might face, especially on a college campus. It becomes important for women to know how to take care of themselves.

Enter Joanne Factor. She loves to barbecue, bicycle and hang out with her six "completely adorable" precocious cats. Her vices include chocolate and coffee.

Her daily routine is filled with violent acts.

Joanne Factor is a self-defense and personal-safety instructor for the UW's Experimental College, UW's Women's Center, Discover U, Safeco Neighborhood Academy and the North Kirkland Community Center. She has also taught karate at the Feminist Karate Union in Seattle, one of Seattle's oldest and most prominent karate schools, for more than a decade

Factor is certified by the National Women's Martial Arts Federation, an organization of women martial artists, and Mona Lisa's Sword, a training organization for those interested in self-defense.

Factor is building her own business called Strategic Living, which provides seminars for businesses and other groups to teach employees how to be actively nonviolent and protect themselves in threatening situations.

"De-escalation skills are taught along with physical skills -- the emphasis is on neutralizing conflict before it becomes a fight," Factor explained. She teaches life skills for women, as well as "cultivating resilience in an uncertain world."

Susan Ware, a UW senior in linguistics, shares her experiences as a student in Factor's classes at the Feminist Karate Union (FKU), and also as a self-defense student.

"I've been out with pushy boys or confronted by drunk men at clubs, and I've been in situations where I thought it might be nice to know how to protect myself," said Ware.

She recalled a time at a show when a drunken man pushed through the audience swinging his fists.

"It's times like that when it's good to know how to block properly, and how to do it subtly without intensifying the situation," said Ware.

Factor's self-defense classes aren't just about fancy footwork either; she's done research on at-risk groups and what people can do to avoid getting attacked in the first place, Ware explained.

Factor's classes focus mostly on feeling confident, being able to think clearly, setting boundaries and knowing one's options in a potentially threatening situation.

"Ninety percent of self defense is knowing what you can do," Factor said, "and basically 95 percent of self-defense situations can be dealt with non-verbally."

She also stressed that defending yourself doesn't necessarily require a lot of strength, but mostly attitude and knowledge.

"Most assailants are people [victims] to some extent know," Factor said. She recommends women set the boundaries to avoid physical or verbal violations. To do so, Factor teaches crash courses in body language, focusing mostly on four main parts: breathing, personal space, eyes and the areas of the face around the mouth.

"Your reaction signifies whether or not you can be intimidated," she warned.

Factor also emphasizes discussions on domestic violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 75 percent of rapes and assaults were performed by someone the woman knew intimately, such as a husband, date or cohabitating partner.

Factor said domestic-violence situations are not the same as the attacks from strangers that her class attempts to prepare for, but she does pass out pamphlets about domestic violence and relationship abuse to students in her classes. This keeps them aware of the real risks they will face, while trying to build their self-confidence, self-awareness and knowledge.

"Learning skills should be fun," Factor said. "Even though the topics are serious, it doesn't mean the class has to be dour."

This mentality shows in her classes, where the women are encouraged to learn each others' names, offer personal stories and laugh often. They are also in constant close contact with one another as they learn blocking, falling and how to break out of difficult holds, such as someone trying to choke them.

"At FKU, I'm part of a women's community that I can look to for support or just go out for beers with," Ware said, explaining that her karate training serves multiple purposes, including exercise, self-defense training, recreation and community.

One of Factor's recent projects was in collaboration with the Veterans' Administration (VA) Hospital in Seattle. The project included five psychologists working with women veterans who were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder induced by sexual assaults they endured while in the military.

The project focused on psycho-education. Twelve sessions alternated between counseling and physical activities. Virtually all the women were suffering from feelings of injustice, helplessness and an inability to control things. Some were even experiencing flashbacks of their traumatic experiences.

"That was probably the hardest class I ever taught," Factor said. "But it was very successful."

She is hoping to plan similar classes through the VA Hospital, including one for the visually impaired, which Joanne is hoping to get federal grants and funding for. She is working closely with Wendy David, a blind psychologist who works for the hospital, who has personally experienced the necessity for self-defense for the blind.

This is one woman who knows how to defend herself.

Classes for self-defense with Factor are currently available through the UW Experimental College and the UW Women's Center.