INTRODUCTION
Every woman around the globe has self-defense and personal protection
concern because of violence against women, both corporeal and intimate
which is an institutional setback that remains embedded in our society
which needs attention at both personal and community level (Weitlauf. et
al., 2000). Now women are deliberately refusing to the mistreatment and
aggression from their families, husband, boyfriends, strangers
(Schneider and Jordan, 1978). For these motives, women learn diverse
assault avoidance programs such as carrying weapons, executing crime
prevention strategies and self-defense skills.
Women experience more of violence than those of men. Hollander (2010)
observed in her study that 75% students had experienced about an
intimate victimization, violence, and an oppression while ten percent
confide any prior physical victimization due to their enrollment in
self-defense classes. Brecklin (2004) stated that women are more likely
to involve in self-protection strategies due to their experiences of the
different form of violence and oppression in both childhood and adult
intimate, physical and emotional violence and tyranny. Violence residues
different psychological and physical effects on women’s lives. In order
to avoid being victimized, women should learn to limit their mobility
and depend upon their men, burglar alarms, chemical sprays, guard dogs
as well as other external agents for self-shield.
In addition, other challenges are providing trainings to avoid danger
and encourage change spectator interference or social norms (Hollander,
2014). The main target of self-defense training programs is to educate
women on how to resist efficiently if confront with a latent assault.
However, it does not impart girls how to fight but inculcate them how to
defend themselves when needed.
Self-defense training offers women an entrance to a new set of combative
responses in assorted assault states. It trains women both physically
and spiritually for potential attacks (Follansbee, 1982 as cited in
Brecklin & Ullman, 2005) by providing them with opportunities to learn
social and cognitive skills through the use of role-plays, conversation
and simulation of exercises (Peretz, 1991; Thompson, 1991 as cited in
Brecklin & Ullman, 2005 and Cummings, 1992). Self-defense training is
very significant for women because it pact with three main issues of
women survival, for example the fear of sexual assault and violence, the
gender, and the selfhood (Hollander, 2004). It holds various levels
start from white belt to black belt. Numerous girls participate in
self-defense training classes and may learn distinct techniques such as
how to cope with assault circumstances, break free of the fingers of an
assailant, dent the breathing capacity of an assailant, displacing the
shoulder or elbow of an assailant, free oneself when grabbed at the rear
and getting strangled or free oneself when tackled to the ground
(Weitlauf, et al., 2000).
Women are often idealized as susceptible, submissive and subject to male
vicious behavior and violence (McCaughey, 1998). Women have overlooked
the opportunities of taking physical training and participating in
athletes due to their stereotypical roles. They also have been
dispirited from learning self-protection strategies because it may not
suitable for their feminine roles (Schneider & Jordan, 1978). In
Pakistan mostly, girls feel communal pressure to defend them due to
family’s reverence. Due to conventional societal beliefs about women and
men’s roles, habitually they are reinforced by families to avoid
physical resistance because it can be harmful for being aggressive. In
the study of Hollander (2009) perception about women self-defense
training is that male thinks that after getting self-defense training
(SDT) they become overconfident and they always set to fight with men
and the result would be imperiled for women. The idea behind that, women
are not intelligent, smart enough and even do not think prudently. Some
women assume that self-defense training increases the chances of victim
blame, for example, women had self-defense training, but if they fail to
protect herself then everyone blame her for assault. At the same time,
there are many winning stories of female resistance. In the study of
(Cermele, 2004) some girl’s perception about fighting back is that they
can’t fight back against men because it just made condition more
horrible and they can only defend themselves when they have weapons. The
alarm of being victimize also keep women at home and they don’t walk
alone in street at night. In the study of (Harris and Miller 2000 as
cited in Williams & Hebl, 2005) asked from participants to put forward
proper strategies for men and women who have a fear of becoming assault
victims. Then outcome showed that most physical strategies comprise
physical fighting and taking up body building were suggested for men,
whereas more submissive strategies included carrying a paper spray,
cellular phone, being escorted and screaming were recommended to women.
In order to reduce rape victims, woman should avoid going alone on the
outside, wearing the dress in a proactive manner and franking with
strangers or male employees at workplace as well as learning defensive
techniques. Rozee & Koss (2001) state that even though some parts of
rapes are inescapable we bicker that women could resists against
possible rapists if they take training on overcoming psychological
barriers to resistance, diagnosing as early as possible they are facing
impending rape and giving an expected ladder through which to progress
from verbal to physical resistance.
Violence against women is a very serious problem in almost all cities of
Pakistan. Pakistani women had become a victim of domestic and street
violence, murder, acid throwing, intimate partner violence, abduction,
honor killing, rape, sexual harassment, verbal violence, Karokari and
other sexual abuse. Nowadays media shows horrible stories of crime
against women like rape, acid burning for the sake of dowry and murder
in the name of so called honor. Despite being a religious country, many
women, young and small girls were victims of rape in Pakistan. As
commonly, the majority of rapes are perpetrated by men whom women know
and men suppose that women will be acquiescent and don’t be able to
hassle back. As stated by Aurat Foundation in 2012, maximum cases of
sexual assaults were reported in Rawalpindi, Sukkur, Karachi, Khairpur,
Tando Allah Yar, Badin, Nawab Shah, Kashmore, Sanghar and Dadu. At the
same time it is somber to note that people arduously report for the
sexual assaults in Baluchistan, KPK, FATA and ICT regions (Annual
Report, 2012). Physical violence upon women is more likely to befall in
the private sphere. Women are becoming sufferer due to their intimate
partner violence. Thus, women had a great scare of sexual abuse,
physical violence and they need protection. For the empowerment of
women, many violence prevention programs were developed such as
self-defense training. It empowers women to effectively resist assault
and not confining their mobility (McCaughey, 1997; Ozer & Bandura,
1990; Rozee & Koss, 2001 as cited in Hollander, 2014).
Although women had made progress in almost all regions of life, but they
are still at a vulnerable spot at public places. At public places women
are not sure about when and which activity of man creates hindrance and
harm to them. In order to demote the chances of their victimization they
used different strategies to conquer the violence included wearing a
wedding ring though unwed (Gardner, C. 1990 ), in taxi made a fake call
to someone and tell them about their arrival and information about taxi,
wearing a casual dress that doesn’t entice others, walking close to a
group of people, sitting in a car with male employee minimize their
dread, wearing a flat shoes aid them, escaping when needed, carrying a
weapon ( Gun, knife, lights, Distractions, personal alarms, handbag).
Sometime women use disparate techniques in order to decrease risk like
when they are strolling alone and carry a home key in their hands and
act in such a way that their house is near to them; they started feeling
secure by standing near a convenient police officer or near a group of
other women are walking along with their male partner and other family
members (Gardner, 1990). Clay-Warner (2002) evaluates the situational
effectiveness of protective strategies used by women during attempted
and completed rape. She also says that women are victorious in
protecting themselves when aggressor is a foreigner rather than someone
who knows them included acquaintance, family member and friend. She also
points out that the use of physical force is amid the vital strategies
for escaping a possible rape. Self-defense training imparts students
various physical and verbal skills that not only help them to
effectively defend themselves but also able to assist others. Mostly
women choose to employ self-proactive acts when an encounter to sexual
abuse by running away, screaming, physically fighting, etc. with the
assailants (Brecklin & Ullman, 2001; Siegel, Sorenson, Golding, Burnam,
& Stein, 1989 as cited in Clay –Warner 2003).
Now there are different self-defense programs in all over Pakistani
cities. The approach is personal safety and risk reduction. For example,
self-defense for Women in Karachi, Self Defense, Shotokan Karate,
Kobudo, & Fitness Instructor training for Females in Rawalpindi. There
is need for change; otherwise Pakistani society will push itself with
back to dark ages. Men and women should be equal donors of social
change. The research will help to evaluate how self-defense can help
women. In this study comparison have been made between the perception of
both self defense trained and untrained girls towards their self
protection. And the strategies of both self defense trained and
untrained girls towards their self protection have been evaluated.