All women have the right to feel safe. Unwanted touch of any time can take away from this. Something as simple as a hug can make a woman feel unsafe. You should not hug a woman who doesn’t invite it because you might not realize you are making her feel unsafe.

Key Takeaways:

• Many of us, especially women and girls, are socialized to accept hugs without question ignoring the fact that sometimes hugs are aggression posing as affection.
• unwanted hugging is a “gateway drug” to escalating physical contact.
• The fact that unwanted hugs may or may not be done with ill intent, hiding under a veil of plausible deniability.

“The fact that unwanted hugs may or may not be done with ill intent, hiding under a veil of plausible deniability, and rely on you to “be polite” makes us feel … oddly powerless.”

http://www.personalsafetygroup.com/2017/03/womens-personal-safety-the-unwanted-hug/