Self Defence Training for Girls
Women have been the victim of male chauvinism and aggression from the time immemorial. Education and government reforms are helpful in bringing change in society. It has been observed that women make up about 48% of the 1.2 billion populations of India, still they have high risk of sexual assault. In such circumstances it is important to empower women physically, mentally as well as emotionally through training. The objective of self defence training is to empower women, to enable them to defend against any type of physical assault, to build self confidence so that they can contribute meaningfully to their own development, shape their own destiny and capacity enhancement through self-defence training.
Department of Psychology and Department of Commerce of Gandhi Memorial National College, Ambala Cantt. organized a self defence training program for the girls on April 18, 2019. The training was given by Shitoryu Karate Association of India, member of Karate Association of India. This organization is recognized by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and Indian Olympic Association. The chief instructor, Mr. Hemant Sharma, Asian Judge India team coach and director chief instructor of Shitoryu Karate Association of India 5th degree black belt World Karate Federation shared the self defence skills to the girls. The curiosity to know more and learn efficiently kept the show going for hours long. It was a great learning experience for the girls of Gandhi Memorial National College.
Mr. Hemant expressed that in earlier times, women were not allowed to move out of homes and today with changing dynamics their number has outnumbered boys higher education. Moreover, they are making efforts to strengthen their position in society and learning to protect themselves from outside threat.
Moreover, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked the colleges and universities whether they have introduced self-defence programmes for women and if they have taken initiatives for women’s safety and security. While training the girls, Mr. Hemant shared that in the face of the increasing cases of sexual harassment and violence against women, it is incumbent upon schools and colleges to institute a thorough going support and education mechanism for self defence. There is a need to teach defence skills to young girls so that they can ensure their safety and can respond to violence and sexual assaults.
Mr. Sharma also shared that women in the age range of 16-18 years are more prone to sexual abuse, rapes, and molestations. Thereby training the college girls become all the more important. Martial arts training, use of security devices like sprays, and rape education are some of the safety measures a woman can opt for. The training was given to a small group of 30-35 girls so that individual attention could be given to each participant.
In the end, teachers as well as students practiced the self defence techniques taught to them. Students were motivated and curious to know more on the self defence techniques. Students learnt a couple of techniques for their safety. Overall, it was an enriching experience for the girls of G.M.N. College.
