Women to learn self defence in free course

As part of its sixteen days of activism, on Saturday the Women’s Department is holding self defence training sessions, free of cost, to anyone interested in the course. For more than a decade, the department has been holding the classes in Corozal and Orange Walk but this is the first time the lessons are being offered in Belize City. According to Acting Director of the Women’s Department Icilda Humes, in just three hours, participants will be able to learn life saving skills.

Icilda Humes, Acting Director, Women’s Department
“She has had women as old as seventy-two be a part of this training. It’s not tae kwan do or karate or any sort of combat training. You don’t even have to be dressed any particular way because when it comes to being attacked, that attacker won’t look at you and see, are you dressed in sweats or dressed in heels? They’ll just attack. And so it’s not a matter of coming dressed to do a workout because it’s nothing like that. There is a theoretical aspect of it that deals with tips on personal safety, what to do, what not to do, things such as not fumbling in your bag for the house keys when you get to your front door or car, but having them ready; things such as looking at a suspicious looking attacker in their eyes so they know you conscious of what’s happening, that you are being followed. So there’s a theoretical aspect and then there’s these simple techniques. There are techniques such as the palm to the nose, heel to the instep, the palm to the groin, the knee to the groin and simple techniques that any woman, regardless of their age, can learn.”

The self defence classes are free of charge. If you are interested in participating, the morning session starts at nine while the afternoon lessons begin at one.