In the agricultural town of Bronkhorstspruit in South Africa, groups of women with some as young as 13 and others up to 65, are looking for ways to protect themselves in a country where gender-based violence is such a critical problem that it was declared a national disaster by the government in November.
The training course is specifically designed for women and offers practice in real-world scenarios like self-defense firing while lying on their stomachs and backs.
Stephanie Graham, a jiujitsu instructor, said while many women in her programme gain confidence, there is no guarantee they will always be able to defend themselves.
“We can only hope that it’ll give us more confidence and heightened awareness than the average person,” Graham said.
65
Year-old women train in self-defense
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