Bharatpur girls pack a punch in self-defence

POWER TIPS School gives martial arts training at parks, schools and colleges to help students fight harassment Selfdefence skills will be displayed in parks, schools, colleges... to make girls aware about how they can protect themselves from eveteasers...

martial arts school in Bharatpur imparts free self-defence training to girls and women to help them fight harassment.

Girls going to schools and colleges are trained in self-defence tricks to make confident, so that they can take on eve-teasers and those trying to molest them, said Onkar Pancholi, the director of Karatians School Rajasthan.

At least 6,500 girls and women – from the city and rural areas -have been trained in martial arts in eight years, Pancholi told reporters on Sunday.

“Self-defence skills will be displayed in parks, schools, colleges, intersections of the city and villages in the district to make girls aware about how they can protect themselves from eve-teasers when they move out.”

According to police figures, 244 rape cases were registered in Bharatpur in 2015, which declined to 186 in 2016. In Karauli, rape cases increased to 80 in 2016 from 58 cases in 2015; Sawai Madhopur recorded 64 rape cases in 2016 against 56 in 2015 and 75 such cases were registered in Dholpur in 2016. In Bharatpur, 1293 cases of female torture were registered in 2015 and 1107 in 2016. Karauli recorded 482 such cases in 2016 and 550 in 2015, Sawai Madhopur 413 in 2016, and Dholpur 520 in 2015 and 516 in 2016.

“We feel confident and go out alone anywhere after receiving self-defence training,” said Anita Singh (17), a BA final year student in Agrasen College. “Earlier, it was not possible as we were scared of unwanted obscene comments on the way. I and my friends had faced many times harassment by eve-teasers.”

Anita had beaten up a man during students’ union elections in last August when he tried to molest a girl.

Pancholi said the school has set up a website that features selfdefence tricks for girls and women. The school takes fees from boys, but gives free self-defence training to girls.

Bhumi Chaudhary (11) of Class 7 and Mahima Singh (17) of BA second year – both trained in Karatians School – had won gold and bronze medals in a taekwondo competition held in Nepal on July 16 last year.

Nishi Foujdar (11), a Class 6 student, won gold medal in an open school international taekwondo tournament organised in Delhi on December 28, 2016 .

Girl students trained in martial arts said they have been empowered to protect them from sexual harassment and assaults.