It’s best for women to learn self-defense
WHILE MAY Sagbakken and Kim Alaburda raise valid points about the University of New Mexico’s inadequacies regarding addressing the issue of sexual assualt on campus, the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico as well as the YWCA need to change their damaging views regarding the issue of women learning self-defense.
Advocacy Centers and apologies by UNM President Robert Frank are important, but lets get to another issue. My husband, Mike Winkeljohn and I teach a self defense program for girls and women. Every time we teach the course, there are women in attendance who have experienced some form of assault or have had a close call. These women are hungry for information on how to avoid or escape an attack or fight back if need be.
I was told not too long ago, when I approached The Rape Crisis Center and also the YWCA for some cooperation with our program — or any reputable self-defense program for that matter — that they did not endorse self-defense for women because it “puts too much responsibility on the woman should she be attacked.”
Studies show that women who take self-defense are less likely to be attacked and when resisters are injured, it is typically less severe emotionally and physically.
A mental freeze is common when we’re threatened and good classes can help prepare women for situations by helping them be pre-emptive in many ways. We have had a forensic psychologist speak to our class about recognizing the dynamics of explosive relationships. We’ve had sex crimes detectives come speak.
Yet I was told the Rape Crisis Center and YWCA would rather take the approach of re-educating men in our community not to be violent. A nice and fluffy thought, and something to work towards, but in the meantime, we will keep empowering women on how to escape and avoid attack and fight when need be.
It’s time for these community organizations and UNM to support and help empower women by giving them access to the valuable tool of self-defense. HEATHER WINKELJOHN Albuquerque