Self Defence Training for Adolescent Girls

Prajnya tied up with Centre for Women's Development and Research's Snehidhi group for a self defence workshop, conducted by KravMaga Tamil Nadu. Snehidhi is a group for promoting leadership among adolescent girls.

The session was originally supposed to be held on the 10th of December, but had to be rescheduled and was preponed to the 8th. Around 40 students participated in the programme, and learned how to kick, punch and escape from an assaulter.



For the girls, this was an opportunity to test their strength and learn a few tricks. Some of them have expressed interest in learning KravMaga, and CWDR and KravMaga Tamil Nadu have decided to explore this opportunity.

Be Smart. Be Safe. Self Defence on Day 10

How important is self defence to women's safety? This is a contentious question - as it immediately brings up arguments of victim blaming in a case of assault. At Prajnya, we don't endorse the view that women are somehow responsible for the violence they face by not learning self defence. At the same time, we acknowledge that knowing a little bit about their own strength, women can feel more confident at home, at work, and while occupying public space.



For the third time during a Prajnya 16 Days Campaign, we tied up with KravMaga Tamil Nadu, and Mr S Sreeram, for free, 2 hour self defence sessions for women and girls. This year, around 15 women participated in the workshop, and learned how to get away from a violent situation quickly. Mr Sreeram have an overview of how everyday things can be used as projectile weapons and shields, giving women time to run and get help. He also taught the class how they can break some common hand holds, and what parts of the assaulter's body they should aim for to cause maximum pain, thereby giving them time to get away from the spot.