any women are indoctrinated to believe that they are weak, that they are incapable of defending themselves, and that they need other people–brothers, fathers, husbands, boyfriends, or partners (read: men)–to protect them from harm. It’s ironic, however, because almost 27% of women worldwide, aged 15-49 years, who have been in a relationship reported that they experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner (WHO 2021). Systematically, policies and programs to address violence against women and girls (VAWG) are left in the hands of politicians, government leaders, and religious leaders, all of whom emphasize the response rather than prevention.
A new breed of female leaders is rising up to demystify the social constructs that say women are weak. From Pakistan to Thailand and the Philippines, women are unlocking their inner power to tackle abuse and violence by using a range of mental, verbal, and physical strategies through Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) training. ESD is empowerment-based self-defense training that builds on an individual's strengths in order to face the spectrum of violence. One training participant said, “The class was designed to help us seek and unleash the ‘power within.’. This type of self-defense training brings out the strength of a woman's body and teaches women to trust their intuition. It encourages them to believe that they can draw from within to be able to respond assertively.
Since 2018, 30 women leaders from 18 countries in the Asia Pacific were trained to become a part of the global movement mainstreaming violence prevention strategies to advance UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5). One Pakistani training participant said, “My goal was to learn the ESD principles to practically adapt to the gender issues women face in Pakistan. Now I am confident to apply and share the skills and knowledge from this training. This platform has provided opportunities for me to network with organizations combating gender-based violence (GBV) and receive moral support from my sisters in the Asia Pacific region”, said the participant from Pakistan. These women gained knowledge, tools, and skills to continue their advocacies to advance women’s rights and create safe spaces, and foster synergies and partnerships to promote the safety and empowerment of women, girls, and vulnerable populations in their counties and communities.
ESD teachers from South Asia and Southeast Asia, where the prevalence of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and street harassment are high, began teaching ESD to young women in May 2022. Currently, ESD has been incorporated by Dastak Foundation in their Healing Circles for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and in the leadership training for young women to amplify feminist voices. In India, ESD was introduced to university students to tackle harassment in public spaces and to impart physical and verbal techniques they can use when faced with an uncomfortable situation on the streets, trains, buses, and other public spaces. Their ESD teacher said, “I have overcome the fear that I have had my entire life - the fear that when someone grabs me I won’t be able to escape. But during ESD training, I stayed calm, I used my strength to kick the attacker, and escaped. I want you to know that you can do it too.”
Meanwhile, teachers in Thailand have taught ESD to women peacebuilders from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Sri Lanka who face insecurities in the field and are experiencing burnout, stress, and trauma as they continue to uphold human rights and guard democracy in their communities. Women peacebuilders shared, “I’m personally shy, so learning ESD helped me practice setting boundaries for things, people, and situations that are consuming my energy,” and “Self-defense is more than just fighting. I learned that I could defend myself using my voice. ESD training helped me imagine what I can do if I face danger in real-time.”
So what can we do to empower individuals and communities and address VAWG? We can teach individuals how to recognize coercion and control before it escalates into potentially dangerous situations. It’s not a quick fix, though. It’s a long-term initiative with potentially long-lasting results. But where do we start? At the individual level, practice the five principles of ESD: THINK, YELL, RUN, FIGHT, and TELL. At schools and workplaces, invest in ESD as a strategy to create safe learning and working environments to eliminate gender and socioeconomic barriers. Like it is in the Philippines, ESD should be taught in schools and universities in order to foster safe learning environments for children and youth.
We can restructure this world into one where women and girls live safe, violence-free lives. But first, we must allow them to become active agents of their safety. Let's inspire women to be their own #Sheroes through ESD.
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Asian Women Inspiring Others to Become Sheroes
Image courtesy of Angel Marie Ysik.
March 15, 2023
In much of the world women are culturally indoctrinated to believe they are weak and should look to men to protect them. These assumptions make women vulnerable, but female leaders across Asia are changing the narrative through Empowerment Self Defense training, writes Angel Marie Ysik.
M
any women are indoctrinated to believe that they are weak, that they are incapable of defending themselves, and that they need other people–brothers, fathers, husbands, boyfriends, or partners (read: men)–to protect them from harm. It’s ironic, however, because almost 27% of women worldwide, aged 15-49 years, who have been in a relationship reported that they experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner (WHO 2021). Systematically, policies and programs to address violence against women and girls (VAWG) are left in the hands of politicians, government leaders, and religious leaders, all of whom emphasize the response rather than prevention.
A new breed of female leaders is rising up to demystify the social constructs that say women are weak. From Pakistan to Thailand and the Philippines, women are unlocking their inner power to tackle abuse and violence by using a range of mental, verbal, and physical strategies through Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) training. ESD is empowerment-based self-defense training that builds on an individual's strengths in order to face the spectrum of violence. One training participant said, “The class was designed to help us seek and unleash the ‘power within.’. This type of self-defense training brings out the strength of a woman's body and teaches women to trust their intuition. It encourages them to believe that they can draw from within to be able to respond assertively.
Since 2018, 30 women leaders from 18 countries in the Asia Pacific were trained to become a part of the global movement mainstreaming violence prevention strategies to advance UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5). One Pakistani training participant said, “My goal was to learn the ESD principles to practically adapt to the gender issues women face in Pakistan. Now I am confident to apply and share the skills and knowledge from this training. This platform has provided opportunities for me to network with organizations combating gender-based violence (GBV) and receive moral support from my sisters in the Asia Pacific region”, said the participant from Pakistan. These women gained knowledge, tools, and skills to continue their advocacies to advance women’s rights and create safe spaces, and foster synergies and partnerships to promote the safety and empowerment of women, girls, and vulnerable populations in their counties and communities.
ESD teachers from South Asia and Southeast Asia, where the prevalence of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and street harassment are high, began teaching ESD to young women in May 2022. Currently, ESD has been incorporated by Dastak Foundation in their Healing Circles for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and in the leadership training for young women to amplify feminist voices. In India, ESD was introduced to university students to tackle harassment in public spaces and to impart physical and verbal techniques they can use when faced with an uncomfortable situation on the streets, trains, buses, and other public spaces. Their ESD teacher said, “I have overcome the fear that I have had my entire life - the fear that when someone grabs me I won’t be able to escape. But during ESD training, I stayed calm, I used my strength to kick the attacker, and escaped. I want you to know that you can do it too.”
Meanwhile, teachers in Thailand have taught ESD to women peacebuilders from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Sri Lanka who face insecurities in the field and are experiencing burnout, stress, and trauma as they continue to uphold human rights and guard democracy in their communities. Women peacebuilders shared, “I’m personally shy, so learning ESD helped me practice setting boundaries for things, people, and situations that are consuming my energy,” and “Self-defense is more than just fighting. I learned that I could defend myself using my voice. ESD training helped me imagine what I can do if I face danger in real-time.”
So what can we do to empower individuals and communities and address VAWG? We can teach individuals how to recognize coercion and control before it escalates into potentially dangerous situations. It’s not a quick fix, though. It’s a long-term initiative with potentially long-lasting results. But where do we start? At the individual level, practice the five principles of ESD: THINK, YELL, RUN, FIGHT, and TELL. At schools and workplaces, invest in ESD as a strategy to create safe learning and working environments to eliminate gender and socioeconomic barriers. Like it is in the Philippines, ESD should be taught in schools and universities in order to foster safe learning environments for children and youth.
We can restructure this world into one where women and girls live safe, violence-free lives. But first, we must allow them to become active agents of their safety. Let's inspire women to be their own #Sheroes through ESD.
