Wits university students given essential training to ward off predators
The free workshops were run by Andoozy INPowered as part of their quest to enable women to defend themselves against perpetrators of GBV
Wits University hosted the national personal protection programme, Adoozy INPowered, to teach female students self-defence techniques.
The two free workshops were held in response to the nation’s GBV crisis.
“The skills taught empower women with safety knowledge and the physical ability to fend off predators so that they can feel safer within their communities,” said Mathabo Sekhonyana from Adoozy INPowered.
Jowy Sono, a first-year student, said after participating in the workshop, “Gender-based violence is a serious problem in this country, because we face it every day. And we can’t even identify when or how it will happen. Through this workshop, we have been taught how to identify danger, and as women, this makes us feel empowered. We feel free.”
The personal protection workshops empower women with choices if they find themselves in dangerous situations. And instead of teaching traditional self-defence training, which requires long hours of training if it’s to be effective, it teaches one, but critical life-saving defence technique.
Mark Grobbelaar, the founder of Women INPowered and workshop facilitator says, “We structure the Adoozy INPowered workshop in such a way that the participants don’t only feel physically INPowered, but mentally too. There’s so much stigma around speaking up or feeling like there’s permission to hold your own space.”
Research conducted with past workshop participants this year revealed that:
- Over 65% of the young females had or know someone who has experienced GBV but the case had not been reported
- 23% had felt unsafe over the past week when they were out of their homes
- 33% had felt unsafe within the past month
- 50% said they did not know how to defend themselves if they needed to, and
- More than 55% said they were unsure of the warning signs they should look out for in a potentially threatening situation.
“As females, we must take matters into our own hands and empower ourselves. Women are fearing for their lives, so we can’t just sit back and wait for better days,” said Sekhonyana.
A 6th Dan in karate, Grobbelaar concluded, “Over 13 000 women were victims of assault last year. This Women’s Month, we want to tell a different story. One that celebrates the strength of females and their courage to fight back. Enough is enough; that’s the story we want to tell.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of GBV, please call the 24-hour Gender-Based Violence National Commence Centre on 0800 428 428.
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