Self defence for women does not refer to the woman who fights but the one that awakens the resolve in her. Given the spurt in crimes against women, learning how to defend is of primary importance especially for those who come from the margins of the society and have to fend on their own.
The Delhi Police has taken an initiative in this direction by training children from the underprivileged sections of the Capital. The Crime Against Women cell at Sriniwaspuri police station recently trained 60 girls and during the month-long course taught them different exercises including how to handle a knife attack and defence from attack on the neck. “Initiated by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mandeep Singh Randhawa, it is the first time this drill has been taught to the underprivileged girls,” said Rajinder Singh Adhikari, Assistant Commissioner. Started last month the children were trained by six female constables who held classes both indoors and outdoors.
Talking about the initiative, Inspector Tripti Joshi said initially they visited the Indira Camp and spoke to the people about the problems faced by girls. “We managed to convince them to join the camp and taught them exercises .” The camp was essentially meant for girls but few boys below the age of ten also joined in. In the beginning there was reluctance on the part of the parents to send their children but when the police personnel convinced them of the benefits they agreed. The children seemed to have developed a good bonding with their trainers and enjoyed the sessions. Asked about their experience, the children unanimously felt that it toughened them physically as well as mentally.
“The girls are now more confident and their families too feel that the police is here to help them. I believe, in future, these girls can tackle problems and will not be reluctant to seek police help and lodge complaints,” said Adhikari. On the completion of the programme, certificates were distributed and the participants presented a drill highlighting the success of the training.
The programme has been going on in several government schools but this is first time it was conducted for the neglected sections of the society.
