By Naeisha Rose
Sex crimes rose to 73 through Aug. 13 from 57 incidents in the same period last year within the 101st, 102nd, and 103rd precincts in southern Queens, according to NYPD crime statistics.
But sexual assaults have dropped to 42 cases so far this year, down from 50 assaults a year earlier.
Despite the decline in sexual assaults, state Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D. Far Rockaway) is bringing back his Sexual Defense Training workshop this Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Holy Unity Baptist Church located at 167-10 137th Ave. in Jamaica.
“Sexual assault is a serious crime that affects the physical and emotional well-being of survivors long after the attack is over,” Sanders said. “We want to raise awareness of this type of violence and do our part to educate as many people as we can in an effort to prevent future incidents from occurring, and to encourage those who have been victimized to seek help.”
Citywide, there have been 455 sexual assaults and 1,190 sex crimes in New York through Aug. 13, based on the NYPD stats. Last year there were 467 incidences of sexual assault and 1,050 sexual crimes listed on the NYPD Compstat report.
It is estimated that there will be a sexual assault victim every 90 seconds in the United States, according to the FBI.
One in three women and one in 11 men will be victims of sexual assault at least once in their lifetime, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Teaching the class in Jamaica is Avi Avramcheyiv, the owner of the New York Self Defense Academy in Flushing.
Avramcheyiv served over three years in the Israeli Defense Forces and has studied martial arts since he was 10. He will be teaching Krav Maga, a military self-defense system developed in Israel.
Unlike other martial arts, Krav Maga has no rules and was not designed for competition, but for self-preservation in real world situations, according to Avramcheyiv.
“Helping people to be able to defend themselves is my main goal,” he said. “You learn to swim so you don’t drown. Self-defense is similar.”
He added, “In order to survive you need to know how to respond within three seconds of someone trying to mug or attack you.”
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
