: At first, the girls were unwilling to believe they were capable of throwing a punch when the need arose to defend themselves. However, by the end of the self-defence training class on Tuesday, the girls from the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Kathirkamam were smiling and more confident. “Yes!” they said in unison when asked if they would remember all they had been taught to deal with the tough world outside.
Faced with increasing reports of violence and abuse against children, the Puducherry police have devised a self-defence training module to help schoolchildren, especially girls, protect themselves better. “We want to show you simple ideas of how you can protect yourself in case of an attack. There are things you can use, like your hair pin, with which you can poke your assailant, giving you time to run away,” said Rachna Singh from the police who led the training.
Ms. Singh and her team gave a series of easy-to-follow tips and demonstrated to the students how they could defend themselves in different situations, including a knife attack and chain-snatching. In the case of an acid attack, Ms. Singh told the students to use milk over the area before help can arrive.
Some of the tips included focusing on the assailant’s sensitive body areas such as eyebrows, the Adam's apple and sideburns. This would daze the assailant, giving time to escape. Ms. Singh also called a few students to the demonstration so they could do and learn. The students were taught how to get out of a grip if they were held from behind. Ms. Singh repeatedly told the students that the tips were easy enough to be used by even the smallest among the students. She also told them that only one gene differentiated men from women and they must remember their capabilities.
Around 1,200 girls of Classes 6 to 12 attended the training. “It has been very useful for the girls. We are quite happy that the police have conducted this training for them,” said Ragothaman, Principal of the school. “We can continue the training for our students with the teachers as guides as well,” he said.
The students were also sensitised to reaching out for help in case of discomfort and abuse. “All of you must know about good touch and bad touch. In case you are uncomfortable about an adult’s behaviour or sense bad intent, you must protest and reach out, preferably to your mother,” told Mahesh Barnwal, Superintendent of Police, to the students. Volunteers from NGOs also addressed the students, offering their support if the girls needed support with some issue inside or outside their homes. A list of important helpline numbers would also be put up on the school notice board.
The police want to cover as many schools as possible over the next few months, said Ms. Singh. “We had been noticing an increase in the number of cases being reported under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Some of the girls are only in Class 6. We discussed this with the Inspector General of Police and came up with this plan,” said Ms. Singh. “The young girls will also recognise the difference between good touch and bad touch which is important,” she said.
