Kozhikode
Training sessions to impart self-defence lessons for women and children will be popularised in the limits of all police stations in Kozhikode district as part of the State-wide efforts of the government and the police to improve the feeling of safety of women. Master trainers from Kozhikode, who recently attended a three-day special training session by the department in Thiruvananthapuram, will coordinate the regional training sessions in the limits of police stations.
A senior woman police officer said that the previously conducted free training sessions of the department had empowered five lakh persons, including women and children, across the State. “In Kozhikode district, various city and rural stations were part of the project led by well-trained and experienced martial arts trainers with the department,” she said.
One of the master trainers from Kozhikode rural area said the free training would make women face any situation confidently without any weapon or the support of another person. “With just four strong parts of the body, the trained women and girl children will be able to ensure their self-protection. The aim of the project is not to defeat the attacker but dissuade him with strong defence skills,” she said.
Apart from physical training, there will be special sessions with focus on improving the trainee’s mental strength, response to unexpected situations and legal ways to fight atrocities against women. In areas where the police resource persons are unavailable, the support of experienced resource persons from the local police station limits will be used.
As police training sessions are short-term programmes, many local schools have launched their own advanced training sessions ensuring at least 20-hour learning sessions for their girl children. Various block resource centres are also part of such programmes inspired by the police department’s initial learning sessions.
“We carry out such special training sessions for children from standard fifth to 12 in Thottumukkam, Kodiyathur, Narikkuni, Kulathur and Padinjattumuri villages with the support of BRC. As training by the police team is mostly available during the vacation time, we focus on daily sessions to give them advanced knowledge”, says S.V. Jayesh, a trained professional in martial arts who coordinates the sessions. According to him, the children are taking it up seriously and responding well to the situations.
