We hear the stories in the news on almost a daily basis; another young woman, mother, co-ed student is beaten, robbed, raped, sexually trafficked or killed. Some by their familiars, others by people they have just met socially or online, and even, complete strangers. According to analysis of the 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), nearly one in three women (31.5 percent) experiences physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in her lifetime. One study analyzing data from the 2011 NISVS found that in the United States, 19.3 percent of women are raped at some time in their lives. So yes, it is a dangerous world out there for all of us, but especially for women. However, that does not mean that women need to live in fear or wait until their number is up, so to say, to eventually become one of the statistics I just referenced. Women can be empowered to protect themselves in many ways, and through many empowerment strategies. The first and most important strategy is awareness.