Empowered & Prepared

“Empowered & Prepared: Women, Safety, and the Right to Self-Defense” reframes the question of women’s security as more than a private concern—it is a constitutional principle, a human right, and an urgent matter of justice. Across cultures and centuries, women have lived with the weight of fear, often denied the means to protect themselves. This book insists that safety is not a privilege granted by circumstance, but a birthright, inseparable from dignity and equality. Blending survivor testimonies with historical insight and social science research, Eduardo Del Río examines the realities of violence women face in the twenty-first century and the ways societies respond—or fail to respond. From intimate partner violence to public threats, the data reveal both the persistence of danger and the resilience of those who endure it. Against this backdrop, the book argues that preparedness—including training, awareness, and the lawful right to self-defense—must be recognized as essential tools of empowerment. At once scholarly and deeply human, Empowered & Prepared moves beyond statistics and policies to honor the lived experiences of women who chose survival and reclaimed agency. Their voices, interwoven throughout, stand as both testimony and guide, reminding us that self-defense is not merely about force but about freedom—the freedom to live unafraid, to resist victimhood, and to claim one’s rightful place in society. More than a study of violence, this is a manifesto for resilience. With clarity and compassion, the book invites readers to reconsider the ethics of safety, the politics of rights, and the power of preparation. It is both an urgent call to action and a roadmap for a future in which women can live safer, stronger, and together, free from the shadow of fear.