Indian Women Fighting Back With Karate

According to a 2006 National Crime Records Bureau report, the number of women raped in the country of India has risen 700 percent since 1971. When you consider the fact that some women’s groups in India indicate that less than 2 percent of women actually report the sexual assaults that happen to them in the first place, a terrible problem is clearly established. The good thing is that women in the country are beginning to combat the problem with the use of martial arts . Karate , more specifically.

According to a highly interesting article at the WIP , women in India have been afraid to speak up about the harassment the majority of them experience because of conservative ideals, the risk of losing their job, social stigma, lessening marriage prospects if they do come forward, and more. However, in a place where female individualism is frowned upon, some are stepping forward anyway and learning how to deal with the harassment they experience both strategically as well as physically in karate classes.

“When I decided to join Karate classes six years back, I found it difficult to convince my family about my purpose,” said Mrs. Swati Jhanwar. “They were skeptical and believed that martial arts were not for girls as it makes them lose their femininity. They’d rather lock girls indoors than allow them to learn how to tackle harassment in public places. It took lots of persuading for them to agree.”

The good thing is that it looks like the number of women getting involved in martial arts in the country is steadily growing and that even teenagers are getting involved. Hopefully this trend will continue to help the situation.