Liz Clark was on holiday in Scotland in 1986 when she was the victim of an attempted rape. Walking in a secluded part of a park one afternoon while waiting for her then boyfriend's mother to finish work, the 19-year-old Clark suddenly became aware of a man beside her. He threw her to the ground, leapt on top of her and began ripping at her clothes.
'In those situations you either react or you freeze,' she says. 'I found myself fighting back.' She screamed, stuck her fingers in his eyes and repeatedly scratched his face. Even when he told her to shut up and threatened her with a knife she continued. Eventually, after what seemed like half-an-hour but was less than five minutes, he ran off.
The police were swift to react and Clark spent the rest of the day driving around town trying to identify her attacker, but he was never found.
That day changed her life. Clark, a 5ft 4in hairdresser from north London, spent years living in fear. She avoided reading newspapers and made sure she always got home from work before dark. 'I thought if I can be attacked in broad daylight then what could happen at night,' she says. 'I spent years with my head buried in the sand.' It wasn't until nearly 10 years later that Clark realised she had to take control of her life. The turning point was when she heard that two elderly women from north London had been badly beaten up and one had died: 'My husband came home from work and I was in a terrible state. That's when I knew I had to do something.'
She started going along to her brother-in-law's martial arts class, but after six months she realised there was something missing; she wanted to make the sport more relevant to everyday life. So she began training to become a self-defence instructor. Now Clark has a black belt in karate and runs seminars and workshops on self-defence. She also counsels other victims of violent crime. She says the most important piece of advice she can give is to be constantly aware, particularly in a foreign environment: 'When I got attacked I was on holiday and I was relaxed and switched off. You cannot afford to drop your guard.'
Clark believes that attackers are becoming more violent and that date rapes are on the increase. 'Never leave your drink unattended when you are in a bar,' she says. 'If someone offers to buy you a drink go to the bar with them and see the drink being poured.'
In 2000, according to the Foreign Office, there were 237 assaults against British nationals while abroad, 125 robberies, 90 rapes, 43 murders and 23 abductions.
Clark has heard cases of a woman being raped while on holiday in Greece and of a woman from South Africa who was nearly raped on a station platform on a backpacking trip in Germany. She advises people to travel with at least one other; research local customs, such as how to dress in a Muslim country; and check the Foreign Office website for troublespots.
She adds: 'Keep your valuables concealed and don't keep them all in one place.' But if an attacker demands your possessions, she advises the victim to give them up. Self-defence should always be the last resort.
Self-defence training has made Clark feel more confident but she never lets down her guard. 'The minute I walk out of my front door, I am aware,' she says. 'Self-defence is like first aid. You learn it but you hope you never have to use it.'
· Liz Clark will be giving demonstrations and advice on women's self-defence at the Independent Traveller's World exhibition (0870 333 1456) at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on 22-23 February (the show runs until 24 February). Tickets cost £5 if booked in advance or online, or £6 on the door. Students are entitled to free entry on Friday and a two-for-one entry over the weekend. For more information on courses: www.womens-selfdefence.co.uk; email wsd@womens-selfdefence.co.uk. The Foreign Office website has tips for travellers.
