On International Women’s Day 2022, Bostik India Pvt Ltd, Ankleshwar, Gujarat and ARCH Foundation launched ‘Abhaya Workshop Series’, to empower girls with Self Defense Techniques as a response action to the rising cases of harassment and violence against females in India.
The workshops are designed with an objective to reach out to 250 school girls of MTM High School in Ankleshwar (Gujarat) and empower them with defense and attack tactics of self-defense, when under any kind of threat. Taking an integrated approach while arming girls with most of the necessary lifesaving skills, the workshops shall also have deliberations and demonstrations around Menstrual Health Management, Social Etiquettes ensuring uprising their health and confidence quotient. Also as an added step to ensure impact and sustainability of the mission, distribution of Free Safety & Hygiene kits to the girls shall also be done.
Unraveling the progressive collaboration of thoughts and vision with ARCH on project Abhaya, the Bostik’s HSE Head – Mr. Rajesh Jani said, “the workshops under Abhaya are strategically designed to holistic serve spectrum of life saving skills to the chosen 250 girls and prepare them for a self-reliant safe, secured, healthy and confident life ahead. Rape, molestation, and kidnapping are the most common forms of crime against women in India. The women in India are also vulnerable to acid attacks and eve-teasing. The mindset of the people, including the victim and the spectator, is to ignore and just let it go. But, what we, as the responsible corporates and individuals fail to realize is that these instances of harassment can flare up into other bigger heinous crimes against women. And that is when the importance of learning self-defense techniques for women was felt by us. We decided to make our girls capable enough to take up the face offs in emergency not for their own selves, but also for any other girl in distress. While preparing them for minor combats, we are also addressing their psychological and physical health with trainings on removing pain and shame around Menstruation. And helping them to up their social games with trainings on social etiquettes. These 250 girls shall be trained as change makers for the community and shall be looked up for carrying the baton forward and spread the word and decorum of change.”
Spelling out exigency and anticipated impact of the mission, the much-assured CEO and Founder of ARCH Foundation, Ms Sonkee Shah said, “Often in India, girls are forced to give up on their education and eventually on their dreams because of incidents like eve teasing, harassments, inappropriate touch, vulgar comments, or even heinous crimes like rapes etc. The worst is, it mostly goes unspoken or ignored. And even if our girls decide to take up the charge, she usually has to seek help and support from some male around. So, the pressing need is to make our women awakened, prepared and empowered enough, so that she can take up battles like these on her own. And for the same ARCH designed the ‘Abhaya’ workshops, intended to train 250 girls in basics of self-defense mechanism. This shall include substances of general physical and mental fitness to tackle situation, instant reflex defense and attack tactics and information about external support contacts.
Abhaya also has a provision to flag down another red flag in their journey towards their dream, and that is their deteriorating health and esteem. Abhaya shall be conducting awareness and training workshops around Menstrual Health Management and shall facilitate breaking taboo around it. Along with it, to enhance her social stature, training on social etiquette shall be done. Poor menstrual hygiene practices, her low confidence towards her health and safety were not only putting them at risk of various infections and diseases, but also hindering their day-to-day tasks, dropping out of schools or losing her self-esteem and confidence and were suffering in silence!
We shall also provide them with Free Safety and Hygiene kit to 500 girls from the school that shall include essentials like Torch, Whistle, Sanitary Kit, Soap etc. to inculcate these life skills permanently in their lifestyles. Abhaya is our response to these pressing issues. It is a holistic approach, catering to her health, safety and esteem needs. It is designed and demonstrated through our experts. We are hopeful to have 250 evolved, empowered and elegant females at the end of the program.”
Also Read: Gujarat Gets Rs 1400 cr CSR Funds in 2020-21
Also Read: CSR: ARCH Foundation reforms 4 Govt. schools in collaboration with Bostik India (indiacsr.in)
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