Self-defence training programme against sexual abuse

Sports for Hope and Independence is running a training programme aimed at empowering girls through self-defence techniques to protect themselves from sexual harassment and any sort of abuse.

Crime against women in Bangladesh is increasing day by day, with increasing number of cases of rape, dowry harassment, eve-teasing, and molestation. The best chance for survival is self-defence and self-protection, and for that women need to be empowered with self-defence techniques.

The "Be like Taramon Bibi" programme is designed to teach self-defence to girls living in different parts of Bangladesh to protect themselves from sexual and physical abuse. According to a UNICEF report, one in every ten girls worldwide is raped or sexually assaulted before they reach the age of 19. In South Asia, Bangladesh has the highest rate of abuse of girls. The rate of child rape has increased by 18% within one year, according to an annual review submitted by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) in 2018. On average, nearly 13 women and girls were raped in the country every day. Rights activists said that the actual number of rape incidents was much higher than the number of cases filed as a large number of cases of sexual violence and rape remain unreported.

Looking at the plight of women in Bangladesh, Sports for Hope and Independence (SHI) has launched a programme “Be like Taramon Bibi”, at EBAC Public School, where 87 girls have the opportunity to receive free self-defence training. The two-day intensive course teaches various tricks and acts to protect themselves. This is designed to “help women identify their risks and evaluate their strengths, and to explore their options for dealing with the threat of sexual violence” using verbal and physical strategies.

By the time they had completed the programme, girls learned how to verbally respond to potential sexual threats, strike vulnerable areas, escape from chokeholds and body grabs and execute defence techniques from the ground. Teaching self-defense will equip women with the tools to identify and prevent violence from occurring to themselves and others, actively promoting peace one woman at a time.