Indian women counter rape with martial arts training

[GeneChing]

Bihar to train one million schoolgirls in martial arts
IANS | Mar 15, 2013, 08.33 PM IST

PATNA: The Bihar government has decided to train one million schoolgirls in karate so that they can use the martial art to protect themselves from sexual harassment, an official said Friday.

"Martial art training (karate) will be given to 10 lakh schoolgirls in 20,000 middle schools across the state," Rahul Singh, the director of the Bihar Education Project Council, said.

The programme will be undertaken as part of the National Programme of Education for Girls at Elementary Level, and reach 10 lakh girls by 2014.

"At present, 1,500 girl students of 150 middle schools are being given martial art training," he said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has repeatedly said in the last few months that girls should learn martial arts like judo, karate and taekwondo. These skills are necessary for physical strength and greater alertness, and would enable girls to defend themselves in case they were harassed by men, the chief minister maintains.

"Martial art training is a must for girls. It would work as a deterrent to molesters," the chief minister said last month.

Last week, Nitish Kumar announced that 10 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) for women would be formed in the state over the next five years. He said these would help women become economically more independent.

The Bihar government was the first in the country to provide 50 percent reservation to women in civic bodies, including gram panchayats.

The government, in 2007, launched an ambitious scheme to provide cycles to schoolgirls, in a bid to encourage them not to drop out of school and finish their education, even if schools were some distance away from their homes.

The more I look at this particular thread, the more I come to the following conclusion: India has got it right.

[GeneChing]

I should really peal the Indian rape news out of this Bollywood thread and create something independent. It is a topic that deserves a stand-alone thread. I will someday when I have a little more time...

Jyoti Singh: Indian women train in martial arts to fight back against rape culture
31 Mar 2013 00:02


POWER: Young women train in martial arts to confront abusers POWER: Young women train in martial arts to confront abusers
Gethin Chamberlain

A GROUP of women are fighting back against the sickening culture of rape which they say infects India.

Fifteen determined females – all victims themselves – have trained in martial arts and are prepared to hand out rough justice if no one listens to their complaints.

And the movement, called the Red Brigade, is growing rapidly following the gang rape and murder of medical student Jyoti Singh Pandey that horrified the world.

In a nation where a woman is reportedly raped every 20 minutes, the group’s leader Usha Vishwakarma said: “We are fighting back – and the boot is now on the other foot.”

Member Sufia Hashmi, 17, said: “We’ve caught a lot of men recently. I joined because men always used to pass comments on me and touch my body but now we beat them and they run.”

Like the other members in the northern city of Lucknow, 25- year-old Usha has first-hand experience of the daily dangers women face in the huge nation – a teacher tried to rape her when she was 18. She said: “He grabbed me and tried to open my trousers. I kicked him in the crotch and ran.”

Usha complained to staff but they told her to forget it and allowed her attacker to carry on teaching.

She said: “Many parents tell girls to quit school so there will be no sexual violence. But we said no – this has to stop. We decided to form a group to fight for ourselves, not just complain.”
TRUTH: Jyoti's father, Badri, bravely identified his daughter after she was gang raped by six men


The Red Brigade, formed two years ago, wear red shirts for danger and black trousers for protest.

Dozens more have joined since the death of Jyoti, 23, who was bravely identified by her dad Badri, 53, in the Sunday People. Four men and a juvenile are on trial for rape and murder in Delhi.

Abusers who fall foul of the Red Brigade can first expect a warning. Sometimes the girls ask police or parents to get involved, but if that fails they act.

Usha’s sister Pooja, 18, said: “A boy was taunting the girls, saying he could have sex with them whenever he wanted. We told him to stop but he didn’t.

“One day he did it again, so we grabbed him and hit him with shoes and fists. His friends were terrified and ran off.”

Afreen Khan, 16, added: “Before joining the Red Brigade men abused me. Now they leave me alone.”

[TaichiMantis]

I should really peal the Indian rape news out of this Bollywood thread and create something independent. It is a topic that deserves a stand-alone thread. I will someday when I have a little more time...

I hope they take more names and kick more ass!

[jesper]

or they could get a gun. much quicker solution

[FullPotentialMA]

Rape and sexual violence are a serious issue worldwide, and self defense training can and does help.

Shocking statistic: The United States Government's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a bi-annual survey of sexual violence in the USA. A whopping 17% of women in the United States are subject to a violent sexual assault in their lifetime. Among college students, one of three women will be subject to a sexual assault while attending a US university. This is shocking.

This is totally preventable with some basic training.

[Samwise85]

Agreed. Its a really sad state of affairs but I know I definitely want my little sister to get some self defense training before she heads off to college.

[pazman]

Rape and sexual violence are a serious issue worldwide, and self defense training can and does help.

Shocking statistic: The United States Government's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a bi-annual survey of sexual violence in the USA. A whopping 17% of women in the United States are subject to a violent sexual assault in their lifetime. Among college students, one of three women will be subject to a sexual assault while attending a US university. This is shocking.

This is totally preventable with some basic training.

Comparing the situations of college women in the US to that of women in India is like comparing apples and oranges. Suggesting that sexual assault is "totally preventable" with some "basic training" is BS.

[David Jamieson]

This is totally preventable with some basic training.

Indeed. A proliferation of education and gender respect at kindergarten age and up will prevent rape culture from spawning and perpetuating.

To this day, you can go to any school and find teh same taunts and attitudes about women, females in general, gay folk etc. there isn't much change going on anywhere outside of social media groups etc.

there is next to nothing to promote egalitarianism in a real sense in schools and quite frankly, society hasn't caught up to all the ideals we preach at each other.
strange how that works.

I mean, I've been called a fairy today as if that is a hurtful insult. It is pretty diminishing for gay folk though and it comes from ignorance. It is still well entrenched in our society and it really needs to go.

[GeneChing]

10,000 girls in Patna? Sure Patna is a capital city, but even in our capital cities, imagine getting 10,000 girls to train.

Martial arts get popular among Patna girls
Parul Pandey, TNN Apr 12, 2013, 03.35AM IST

PATNA: The increasing incidents of crime against women has made training in self-defence the need of the hour for the fairer sex. That's why more than 10,000 young girls as well the grown-up ones across the city are taking lessons in different styles of martial arts.

"It is high time we girls should not only stand up to speak against the mischievous acts of the roadside Romeos, but also learn techniques to give a serious blow to them," says Kaavi Sharma (16), a yellow belt in karate. The city-based instructors of various forms of martial arts have now increasing number of women and young girls enrolling for a course.

Avinash Kumar, president, Lee Martial Arts Academy, says, "Five years back, only 10% of the students taking martial arts classes were girls. But, now, the ratio is 50-50."

Nalin Kumar, president, Sports Karate-Do Association of Bihar (SKAB), said, "In Bihar, more than 50,000 persons are learning martial arts and around 500 have black belts."

In Patna over 20,000 persons take martial arts training. Not only private martial arts academies are imparting training but also various schools and colleges across the city have started physical training classes in self-defence.

Guardians, now, want their wards, especially daughters, trained in self-defence. "Giving martial arts training to my daughter is the only option to keep her safe as I can't stay with her all the time," said Aman Jha, father of a girl attending martial arts classes.

Pankaj Kumar, general secretary, SKAB, who also gives free training to girls, says, "If the girls start teaching a lesson to antisocial elements by hitting them back, it would send a strong message that they should not be taken lightly."

The 4th Dan black belt, Kumar says a well-trained girl can defend herself against two men with ease and with a weapon she can tackle six to seven men. "We give training to girls in using items available in the surroundings as weapon to protect them. We give them basic tips besides training in some advance techniques with which a girl can teach a lesson to man 10 times more than her weight," said Kumar.

Avinash, a 4th Dan black belt, says, "It takes almost three years for full training." It starts from 9th Kyu level and students earn belts of different colours till they complete the 1st Kyu. Black belt is the ultimate in martial arts, though even that has different levels (1st Dan to 10th Dan).

In view of the increasing popularity of martial arts classes, many instructors have also designed special short courses of about ten days to three months duration to teach women the basics of self-defence. "Many parents whose daughters are going to other cities to study come asking about crash courses," says Kumar.

Neha Sinha, who is going to Delhi for graduation this year, says, "I have started learning martial arts. My parents encouraged me. It proved useful when hooligans tried to sexually harass me while I was returning home from tuition."

Not only college girls and school students, even married and working women are coming forward to join such classes. Nidhi Khaturia, a housewife who usually goes out daily to get groceries and takes her kids out for an evening stroll, says, "Even people sitting at home can be a victim of violence. After joining the self-defence course, I realized that I can use even a safety pin or a dupatta for self-defence."

I had to look up dupatta. Now I'm curious what sort of self-defense moves they are teaching with those.

[GeneChing]

I only really posted this because I was amused by the chief minister's name.

Dik**** for martial arts training for girls
IANS | May 14, 2013, 09.41 PM IST

In the wake rising crimes against women, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dik**** Tuesday announced her government was willing to introduce training in martial arts for girls in all its schools.

"The government would like to offer this sort (martial arts) of training in more and more schools at the earliest in order to cover all government schools in a phased manner," Dik**** said here.

She also said the government would also like to sanction nutritional support for the girls who would be trained in martial arts.

"The girls studying in Delhi government schools have become more competent as they are being imparted training in different martial arts initially in 60 government schools," she said.

She was speaking at a function in Thyagraj Stadium where students Tuesday displayed their martial arts skills.

[mawali]

I have a plot for a new movie, whether Hollywood, Bollywood or Chollyhood!
Young girl on pilgrimage to Sikkhim (a monastery, obviously) encounters some bad and disgusting fellows but she happens to escape an finds and old sadhu who teaches her kalari. She hunts them down, bashes their heads in, then she starts a new school for women teaching kalari and associated arts.

[Lucas]

I only really posted this because I was amused by the chief minister's name.

that guys name is beyond awesome

[GeneChing]

that guys name is beyond awesome

If you follow the link, there's a pic. Sheila is a girl's name, even in India.

[Syn7]

There is this new anti rape device that is sort of like a rigid female condom type thing that is barbed on the inside. So you go in quite easily. After that removal is a surgical procedure.

And of course some people feel this is inhumane. Yes, you read that right. Some feel it is inhumane to maim a rapist.

I love the idea, but how would you not notice the thing?

If I come across the link I'll throw it up.

[Sihing73]

There is this new anti rape device that is sort of like a rigid female condom type thing that is barbed on the inside. So you go in quite easily. After that removal is a surgical procedure.

I am having trouble imagining this...........I am picturing the rapist now being attached to his victim..............both stuck together kind of like when dogs do it.......if this is correct then I am not sure this would be a good thing for the victim as they would be stuck with their attacker till surgery

Of course, if it is somehow removable by the victim and stays stuck on the attacker then that would be another story. Imagine having to walk around with this thing stuck on you until you could get to a hospital.