A self-defense ministry that could save lives

About every two minutes another American is sexually assaulted, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Women’s self-defense instructor Chuck Peterson wants to change that reality by teaching women how to avoid risks and give themselves a fighting chance to escape when an attack is unavoidable.

Seven years ago, out of concern for the safety of his wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law, Peterson began a collection of practical self-defense techniques and tools. With his more than 40 years’experience as a student of American Kenpo Karate, Peterson developed a free, four-hour Saturday clinic in the Charleston, S.C., area called the PROAct Approach to teach women from preteens to seniors how to decrease the risk of or escape sexual assault.

“There’s no once-you-get-to-this-age-you’re-safe,”Peterson said, “and I do it because it needs to be done and no one else is doing it.”The deeper he researched self-defense for women, the more he realized how vital it was to equip women with the information he gathered. He also wants to teach others how to run the clinic so it can expand.

Peterson bases his clinic on three elements: opportunity, ability, and intent. “Every criminal needs the opportunity to commit the crime, the ability to commit the crime, and the intent to commit the crime,”he said. “And you don’t need martial arts training or a concealed-carry weapon permit to be incrementally safer.”

A student from a clinic he held a year ago told him a story of how those three elements came into play. She was confronted in a parking lot for money. She said she had $10 to give, and as she removed the $10 from her purse, she maneuvered around a car to a more visible location and placed the bill under a windshield wiper. Keeping her assertive tone, she said she was leaving and told the person to take the money when she was gone.

Peterson explained that by moving to a visible location, she reduced opportunity for attack. With the car between them, she reduced the ability for attack. By offering the money, she satisfied the intent. In this case, it might have been to buy food, and $10 is a small price to pay, Peterson said, adding, “In New York City, it might cost you $20, but here in South Carolina, $10 will do.”

The best way to remove criminal intent is through coming to faith in Jesus Christ, Peterson says. But when a criminal’s intent is to do harm or commit rape, the only option may be to fight back. “On at least one occasion that we know of, Jesus physically defended his temple by driving out corrupt money changers with a whip. We know that our bodies are God’s temple now, and we have every right and responsibility to protect them,”he said.

“I don’t ever want to be in a situation where I’m attacked and not know what to do,”clinic member Sandra Lynn Ziffer said. “And I’ll protect my kids at all costs.”

Peterson offers more information and resources on his website. “I don’t charge for the clinic,”he said. “If someone didn’t sign up for my clinic because she couldn’t afford it and got raped, I’d never sleep a sound night again. This doesn’t cost me much. I try to think of it as a noble goal, and the noble goals we pursue pretty much define us.”