LauraBell I have some experience with this. I wonder if you are walking or riding. If walking try to change your route some, change the time a little, if others are walking try to catch up with them so you aren't alone, carry a whistle and blow it at the first sign of trouble, don't be shy, better to make a mistake and look foolish, don't walk at night, talk with your bosses if leaving or arriving an hour early or later can avoid the dark. Is a bicycle possible, e.g. in The Netherlands everybody rides them. Some of these apply if riding, especially if you can vary the time of day or the route (hard, sometimes). Think about the whistle. Talk to the local police or gendarmerie, see if they have a rape officer and try to pick up tips. When in doubt run, don't fight, don't go down closed passages or stand on deserted platforms waiting for the bus, stay in well lite areas, a lot of these things are common sense but we don't always do it. Carry mace or whatever the legal equivalent is (talk to the cops). Look up "self defense knuckles" on Amazon. There are brass knuckles, also things that look like a key which extends from your hand you can stab with, these are last ditch things, don't depend on fighting your way out. Don't listen to the usual suspects here, this is actually serious.
