Bolivian women learn how to beat violence

A CONFIDENCE- BOOSTING WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT PROJECT IS RAISING AWARENESS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND TEACHING SELF DEFENCE TECHNIQUES

For many years Bolivia’s indigenous women, in their striking traditional wide skirts and bowler hats, were ostracised from mainstream society. Known as ‘cholitas’, these Aymara and Quechua women have been finding their voice and regaining their rights. Nevertheless, many of them still suffer from domestic violence in their own homes – a UN report found that eight out of ten women in Bolivia suffer some kind of violence in their lifetime.

Warmi Power is a women’s empowerment project, which since it was started in 2015 has given 20,000 women skills in self defence using the principles of Tae-kwondo. Now they’re taking the project to communities of indigenous women in and around the cities of La Paz and El

Alto, training them for free in how to defend against aggressive behaviour.

As well as giving them skills in martial arts, Warmi also runs workshops that look at psychology, attitude, and emotions. Warmi Power’s founder, Laura Roca, explains: “The issue of violence towards women is very serious and it’s not just about learning physical techniques.” The project also trains women to recognise when they are suffering psychological abuse, too, perhaps enabling them to take action before there’s a chance for violence to take place.

“We are trying to raise the visibility of violence against women and to address the psychological, emotional and self-esteem issues around it,” says Laura. “We’re giving women self-confidence.”