Self-defence training for girls in state to fight harassment

SHILLONG: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Tuesday organised ‘Mission Sahasi’ aimed at training and encouraging girls to fight against harassment.
A mega demonstration event by girls trained in self-protection and survival skills was present at Madan Iewrynghep, Laitumkhrah.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, ABVP state secretary, Darilin Tang said Mission Sahasi, taking place across India, is slated to be a programme for girls to make them fearless and confident.
“There are numerous cases of harassment in the society. We cannot wait for only fellow people or the police department to help us. We have to be confident and show people that girls are not weak,” she said.
“During the demonstration we teach girls techniques on how to make use of the things in their hands such as phone, clips, bag etc., to protect themselves from harassment,” she added.
According to Tang, self-defence will teach the girls to fight probable culprits and such techniques will help them mentally and physically.
“We are giving one month training to school students. Trainers also help us in this regard. Some schools did not participate due to scheduled examinations and there were less than 600 students present,” Tang said.
She informed that ABVP has approached the Police department and the Karate Taekwondo association to help them with the training.
ABVP also so far approached 11 schools. “The training in each school is for 4-5 days and it depends on the school’s schedule. We are giving them as much time and support as we can,” the state secretary of ABVP stated.
“I believe when we give such training, even a man will think before attempting a crime against women. In Meghalaya, we have more freedom and respect towards women but we are not courageous enough,” she added.
The trainers at the mega demonstration event were Hriday Rynjah Lama and Md Razzak Sarkar.
Lama said, “We have been to several schools and more than 5000 students have been trained. I have seen many students were interested in learning self-defence.”
He expressed hope that the short period of training can help the girls in fighting back harassment.