Should Self Defense classes be mandatory for all girls?

The horrific rape case of Nirbhaya, in Delhi shook up the entire nation. It brought startling questions to every mind.

“Am I safe and do I feel protected, are there anyone who really stands up when I step out on the streets in India and face any dreadful situations?”

“Can I be a victim of a life shattering crime like rape, ever in my life?”

“Should I let my daughter or sister to go and work in the crime capital now or in the future, Delhi?”

“Is any city safe at all? Does any city exist in real with zero crime record. Are all men of similar mentality?!”

Crime against women has reached an all-time high! Nirbhaya’s heart wrenching case reduced many a heart to pieces. It seems alarming that any human being is capable of performing the horrendous act Nirbhaya’s rapists did.

Naturally, we start thinking on the lines of how safe we are.

Rapists and eve teasers know no geographical bounds. India may have emerged as the rape country of the world. But the evil mentality of a rapist isn’t specific to any region or religion. Rapes and eve teasing happen in the safest of places. Neither are these crimes limited to dark evenings. Daylight rapes and murders of ladies have made news in the past too. Babies, toddlers, teenagers, ladies and elderly women- they spare no one!

In such a situation, NO WOMAN, IN NO COUNTRY, AT NO TIME is safe.

Living in constant fear is not a solution. Being prepared for the crime IS!

The fairer sex is a favorite target because the gender biased creation has made women physically weaker. And the weak, is a favorite victim of the cowardly.

In the viewpoint of the recent crime against the women’s case, few points evolve:

•    Women should carry pepper sprays in their handbags at all times.
•    Sharp tools like nail cutter/pocket knives may prove to be useful too, if the exact technique to attack is known.
•    Few important phone numbers should always be saved on speed dial.
•    Women need to be alert of their surroundings and the people around them always.

But in the rawest of situations, when you’re facing your attacker, your phone and handbag thrown aside already, what comes to your aid is MIGHT.

• The knowledge of what kind of a blow at which body part of the attacker will give him a hard time, giving you a chance to escape or further attack him, comes into the picture.
• The experience of focusing all of your energy into that one blow is another requirement.
• And finally, some quick thinking does too.

This is what Self Defense Classes are primarily about!

“Self-defense, though violent in nature, is not a crime in itself. It is protection of self or a fight against crime. Self-defense classes train women so that they can protect their honor and fight against anyone who tries to harm them (or even someone else), in the time of need. In an age wherein women- because of their physical weaknesses, are the easiest targets for all kinds of crime, the need for Self Defense classes as a compulsion is much!”

Robbery, murder, rape, kidnapping, eve teasing. There must come to an end to it all.

And when women will be able to defend themselves, such crimes will diminish on their own.

However, “Self Defense classes should not be a compulsion.”

This argument raises the point that rather than protection from the crime, it is important to eradicate the crime from the root!

It is the very thinking in the minds of criminals that make women unsafe. A mentality that treats women as objects need to be attacked.

Proper education and upbringing in a decent environment can ensure this. Many criminals come from broken homes. To nip it in the bud, is the solution and criminal tendencies should be tended to in the very beginning.

Media doesn’t fail to bring to view the kind of graph ‘crime against women’ is tracing against time. With the public made aware, it is in our hands to decide what the right choice is for us.
Either way, Stay alert, be strong and stay safe!