Brace yourself for self-defense
Sudha is a divorced mother of two girl children, who is working as a staff nurse in a government hospital. Like every day she dropped her kids at school and left for work. It was a busy day so she changed her casuals into uniform quickly and went to the general ward to look after patients. At the corner of the ward, she observed a bruised woman in her mid-40s, crying out in pain. She quickly approached her and asked for the cause of pain. The woman replied that her drunk husband molested, and beat her to death. Sudha shook for a moment and reported to the doctor in urgency. The woman was shifted to an emergency ward and Sudha got busy with her duties.
After dinner, Sudha put her daughters to sleep and she was lost in thoughts. Her mind blurred with past memories of domestic violence by her husband, divorce, the bruised woman in the hospital, assaults on women in society, etc.. Next thing, she opened her phone, started research on different self- defense techniques, training initiatives. After a while, this is what she found out.
All over the world, irrespective of age many women are victims of some sort of physical abuse. In need of the hour, self-defense but nothing can protect oneself from being harmed and stop the violence. For basics, there are different self-defending moves like Groin kick, Hammer strike, elbow strike, quick escape strategies, etc. Apart from that, there are various types of self- defense training like
- Karate
- Taekwondo
- Krav-maga
- Kick-Boxing
- Kung-fu
However, one has to choose a style based on factors like physical stamina, age, fighting style, etc.
Women and children are the innocent victims in many violence cases. This needs to be put to an end. In India, there are many initiatives focusing on self-defense training for women.
- States like Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu & Delhi have initiated self-defense training programs, to empower rural and urban women.
- Different Initiatives like SPUWAC, Blank Noise, Gulabi Gang, women’s self-defense center, etc are predominantly working on women’s protection, safety, and defense mechanisms.
- The Ministry of Human Resource Development launched the Samagra Siksha(RAKSHA), under this scheme, self-defense training will be provided per Government schools having girls enrollment Rs. 3000/- per month for 3 months. This training is intended for girls belonging to class VI to XII.
Sudha understood that self-defense is a necessary skill for every woman out there to protect themselves from unexpected situations. Also, basic items like a whistle, scarf, keys, pens/pencils, a flashlight can be used as weapons in the emergency. She was motivated to take a self-defense class for her family and chose to be strong as well as empowering.
The next morning, she explained to her daughters about unsafe touch, being aware of surroundings, verbal self-defending techniques like shouting for help, and police, commanding Back off and NO, safety measures & tactics when traveling alone, the importance of self-defense, managing anxiety in panic situations, etc. Also, she extended that self-defense improves physical strength, discipline, builds self-confidence, and maintains healthy relationships. She felt very brave and powerful after acquiring knowledge, skills of self-defense, in addition, encouraged her co-workers, peers, fellow parents, and children to gain insights about self-defense.
She is hoping for a day where training for self-protection, defense becomes a norm in every school, college, workplace, to maintain harmony.
Moreover, it is our right as well as the responsibility to protect ourselves and be self-prepared. Sudha is self-equipped. What are you waiting for?
Contributed by- Krishna Lalitha, Content Writer @ Mitti Ke Rang
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