shouldn't we teach all school girls more effective self defence now because

4

shouldn't we teach all school girls more effective self defence now because

epidemic of sexual assault

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1973673/primary-school-kids-sexual-assault

Reply 1

StriderHort

21

Nah, the Daily Express are exaggerating and muddying the issue, it's what they generally do. For one thing they are considering calling someone nasty names a sexual assault. I'm not claiming bullying of any sort is acceptable, but it needs a bit of context. Apparently some of the children counted as offenders here are 4 so I get the impression they're setting a pretty low bar for what counts.

Also would be wild to officially only teach one gender self defence 😅

Reply 2

tazarooni89

20

I’d worry that teaching “self-defence” could lure people into a false sense of security.

Sometimes the best defence is to run, escape, scream for help, just hand your wallet over, avoid getting into risky situations in the first place etc. rather than trying to fight off an attacker. Some people can overpower you regardless of what techniques you’ve been taught. Plus, you never know who’s carrying a knife or something.

Reply 3

username6708851

10

I think that in general it's important to encourage females to participate in sports, go to the gym, have a healthy athletic body, put on muscles, work to build their physical endurance in the context of athleticism and weights, and train martial arts. Alongside this, it's crucial to teach girls early about setting and enforcing boundaries, developing self-respect, develop self-confidence, that it's okay to say no to unwanted advances or behaviours. While society has made progress in these areas over the past few decades, I feel there's still much to be done to normalize these values that can have a transformative impact on personal empowerment of girls and women.

Reply 4

mqb2766

21

Original post

by Judith_cohen

shouldn't we teach all school girls more effective self defence now because
epidemic of sexual assault
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1973673/primary-school-kids-sexual-assault

The articlel makes it clear that its primary kids and roughly 600 last year and its name calling and cyber bullying and physical assault. Id guess time would be better spent on the cyber bullying and getting kids to talk to someone if/when something occurs. As above, self defence can be counter productive, probably more so at that age.

Reply 5

Trinculo

21

Until teachers can decide what a schoolgirl is, this is an utterly pointless discussion.

Reply 6

StriderHort

21

Original post

by Jedi BB-8

I think that in general it's important to encourage females to participate in sports, go to the gym, have a healthy athletic body, put on muscles, work to build their physical endurance in the context of athleticism and weights, and train martial arts. Alongside this, it's crucial to teach girls early about setting and enforcing boundaries, developing self-respect, develop self-confidence, that it's okay to say no to unwanted advances or behaviours. While society has made progress in these areas over the past few decades, I feel there's still much to be done to normalize these values that can have a transformative impact on personal empowerment of girls and women.

Is that really a gender thing though? wouldn't you want these positive values for everyone?

Reply 7

username6708851

10

Original post

by StriderHort

Is that really a gender thing though? wouldn't you want these positive values for everyone?

Of course I want these positive values for everyone. However, I think it’s especially important to emphasize these values for females because societal norms and expectations historically haven't encouraged them in the same way. For example, there’s often too much focus on how women's bodies look like rather than their physical health, athleticism, or strength. Unfortunately, I've seen this pressure placed on females and getting them distracted from what really matters since a very young age. Then strength training or martial arts might still be less normalized for girls, and many females face unique challenges in asserting boundaries or dealing with unwanted behaviors. By highlighting this, I'm not excluding anyone, just addressing areas where there’s still room for improvement.

Reply 8

Dj_quickshot

8

Original post

by Judith_cohen

shouldn't we teach all school girls more effective self defence now because
epidemic of sexual assault
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1973673/primary-school-kids-sexual-assault

If you just teach girls doesn't that just then make it so that they're more likely to start something due to the existence of an imbalance and the assumption that boys are going to do something?

Reply 9

Ciel.

21

the truth is that even when you know the very basics of 'self defence' - it's utterly useless when the other person is physically stronger. and that's usually the case.

Reply 10

username6708851

10

Girls/females -- don't get detracted by the non-believers.

Reply 11

Dj_quickshot

8

Ngl though, violence isn't always the answer, especially at school age. Sometimes these 'cases' are misunderstandings, and sometimes they are something serious. I'd probably just reinforce the current idea to always tell someone if this occurs.

Reply 12

hotpud

18

Original post

by Judith_cohen

shouldn't we teach all school girls more effective self defence now because
epidemic of sexual assault
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1973673/primary-school-kids-sexual-assault

There isn't an epidemic of sexual assault. Such emotive language helps no one. The Daily Express is the king of emotive language. Yes, there is an issue, but the cause is complex and the potential solutions even more so. But getting our heads in a tiz about with a view to bringing out the pitch forks and flaming torches is not the answer.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 13

Rakas21

21

The funny thing here is that actually incidences of sexual harassment or assault from females to men are actually quite common. The difference is that men don't care enough about a female grabbing them or slapping them in an argument to report it.

Reply 14

mike44

8

Original post

by Judith_cohen

shouldn't we teach all school girls more effective self defence now because
epidemic of sexual assault
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1973673/primary-school-kids-sexual-assault

No, society should focus on ensuring parents teach their children proper morals and manners and this should be followed through in school coupled with making smart phones illegal for under 18's.

Reply 15

Jebedee

17

Bring back the borstels of circa 70s. Problem solved.

shouldn't we teach all school girls more effective self defence now because

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