Jamia Journal Independent Student-run News Website of Jamia Millia Islamia (a Central University)
The Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies in collaboration with the Delhi police conducted a two-week self-defence training workshop in the university gymnasium in which about 150 students from Jamia Girls Senior Secondary School participated. The workshop was held between Nov. 26 and Dec. 13.
The director of the Women’s Studies Centre, Dr Bulbul Dhar-James, said the initiative is aimed to develop gender equality and to ensure self-reliance of women so that they can tackle untoward situations. The 15-day workshop will be organised once in two months.
“The workshop aims to train the girls and make them understand the significance of being a woman and being assertive and not aggressive. The workshop will teach the girls to defend themselves during untoward incidents at public places or even inside their homes. They will be taught to defend themselves even if they are empty handed and caught in trouble,” said Dr Dhar-James.
She said violence against women is a societal issue. People need to change their mind-set towards women. “It is an inclusive workshop for women empowerment where a group of trained women constables train the school girls for their self-defence. The idea is to make the girls able to handle untoward incidents, if any,” she added.
The last batch consisted of only school students but university students and faculty members will also be invited to join it, said Dr. Dhar-James.
The workshop culminated in a valedictory ceremony on Friday, Dec. 14, where the students demonstrated their learned skills in front of police officers and other guests at the Bhopal Ground in Jamia Sports Complex.
The next training workshop is scheduled to be held from January 21-February 1, 2013.
Video Report:
CNN-IBN did a 3-minute report on the Jamia self-defense workshop. Incidentally, the training workshop was conducted before the brutal rape that was committed on Dec. 16 and not after, as CNN-IBN misleads you to believe. Watch the video on Youtube here:
