The role of self-defence in preventing violence against women · After WWI, women's self-defence...

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1 www.welshwomensaid.org.uk The role of self-defence in preventing violence against women Tuesday 6 February 2018

Transcript of The role of self-defence in preventing violence against women · After WWI, women's self-defence...

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www.welshwomensaid.org.uk

The role of self-defence in preventing violence against women

Tuesday 6 February 2018

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2Introduction

Eleri ButlerCEO, Welsh Women’s Aid

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3The role of self-defence in preventing VAWG

Irene Zeilinger

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The role of self-defence

in preventing

violence against women

Irene Zeilinger, Garance ASBL

6 February 2017, Cymorth i Ferched Cymru / Welsh Women's Aid

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Garance : who we are

A feminist NGO in

French-speaking Belgium

Mission: primary

prevention of gender-

based violence

Team: 10 employees, ± 20

volunteers

Activities: workshops,

training, research,

publications

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Why self-defence?

« I declare to you that

woman must not

depend upon the

protection of man, but

must be taught to

protect herself, and

there I take my

stand. »

Susan B. Anthony

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Why self-defence?

Self-defence, armed or unarmed, in the hands

of any oppressed group is a means of

insurrection (Dorlin 2017):

To defend yourself, you have to value your self.

To defend yourself, you have to overcome power

inequalities and stereotypes.

To defend yourself is to reclaim the right to exist and

to live without violence.

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Feminist self-defence is not:

Becoming a

superheroine with

extraordinary

powers

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Feminist self-defence is not:

Becoming an

aggressive,

frustrated, hateful

woman

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Feminist self-defence is not:

Becoming just

like men

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A short history of self-defence

The birth of self-defence for women is linked to :

Urbanisation, women's employment outside the house

Japanism and colonialism

The women's movement

The physical culture movement

1905 : Edith Garrud opens her own dojo in London

1913 : WSPU announces that all militants are trained in SD

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A short history of self-defence

Fude Yamashita,

JP/US

Florence Le Mar, NZ

Nobatake Yaeko, JP

Edith Garrud,

UK

Emily Waters, UK

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A short history of self-defence

After WWI, women's self-defence survived in

police entertainment military

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A short history of self-defence

The rebirth of feminist self-defence : 1969 (Cell 16, Boston)

Creation : feminists involved in MA created their own SD

system (e.g. Sunny Graff, Py Bateman)

Reappropriation : feminists involved in SD got fed up by

sexist male instructors and broke away (e.g. Wendo, Modle

Mugging)

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A short history of self-defence

1970s: creation and reappropriation, demand is high

1980s: diversification, networking and transfer

1990s: backlash

– Against the women's movement

– Within the women's movement

– Commercial/institutional competition

Since 2000: reemergence and scientific fundament

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A short history of self-defence

Stichting Kenau, NL 1981

SD class 1979, NZ

SD class, New York

1981

Py Bateman Lydia Zijdel & Wendy Dragonfire

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What is feminist self-defence?

As divergent from other practices such as martial arts, combat

sports, assertiveness training... for women (Channon & Mathews

2015):

aims to prevent VAWG, help victims/survivors recover

challenges gender norms and rape culture

takes into account the specificity of VAWG

includes role play with mock attackers

grounded in feminist pedagogy

men typically absent or in limited role

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What is feminist self-defence?

Based on its contents and methods (Kelly & Sharp 2016):

accurate information on VAWG

critical thinking on gender, power, intersections

central concept of boundaries

use of voice, body language and physical power

prevention strategies and verbal SD

simple, accessible and efficient physical SD techniques

empowerment – women choose – reducing guilt

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What is feminist self-defence?

Four main differences to mainstream

SD for women (Thompson 2014):

Collective approach

Attribution of sole responsibility to

attackers

Focus on the embodiment of

power

Broad range of mental, emotional,

verbal and physical tools

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FSD and the gender order

Gender order as major obstacle to women resisting violence

Narratives, e.g. « rape script », stranger danger...

Stereotypes, e.g. female vulnerability and male danger

Embodiment

Structural and symbolic inequality

FSD allows women to challenge the gender order, to develop the

sense that VAWG is neither normal nor deserved and to change

their mental representations of power and space.

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The impact of self-defence

Psychological impacts:

Fear changes in quantity and

quality

General anger decreases, specific

anger increases

Self-image and body image improve

Self-efficacy increases (SD-related

and general)

Rape-myth beliefs decrease

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The impact of self-defence

Impact on victimisation:

NL : FSD participants reported fewer instances of harassment, sexual

and physical violence (van Baarsen & van der Plicht 1995)

FSD participants at a US university reported less (attempts of) sexual

violence (Hollander 2014)

Kenya : sexual assault rate in FSD trained high-school girls decreased

from 18% to 11% (Sinclair et al. 2014)

All forms of sexual violence decreased in Canadian university students

after FSD training (Senn et al. 2015)

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The impact of self-defence

Impact on victims/survivors:

Victims/survivors participate in SD at least in equal proportions.

Primary prevention : improves self-confidence, awareness,

assertiveness

Secondary prevention : helps name violence, provides a safe space

for disclosure, overcomes isolation

Tertiary prevention : contributes to processing and healing

Decreases PTSD symptom severity

FSD seems to have no or decreasing impact on victim blame

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Feminists against self-defence

Since the late 1980s, some feminists criticise SD for :

building on and increasing women's fear

victim blaming

making women just as violent as men

individualising/depoliticising VAWG

being neoliberal

None of these are true, but SD still has never found the same

traction as rape crisis or women's shelters. WHY?

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The problems of self-defence

In spite of its promise to reduce VAWG, just like primary prevention in

general, FSD lacks public recognition and support in :

International human rights instruments

National anti-VAWG policies

VAWG research

Public and private funding

Consequences : FSD teachers drop out, training of new teachers is

difficult or unavailable, FSD is marginalised, invisible and inaccessible

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What can you do?

What we did in Belgium :

Be everywhere, knowledgeable and reliable

Repeat the primary-prevention message continuously

Develop strategic partnerships with feminist victim service organisations

Advocate to get FSD into national and international policy papers and

build on it

Do your own research and publications

Obtain core funding

Diversify into new topics, publics, partnerships

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Imagine a world...

... where every woman, every girl is able

and dares to say no

... where every woman, every girl knows

how to save herself from violence

... where we all have the confidence in

our capacity to take care of our own

safety

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Plus d'informations

Garance ASBL

Bld du Jubilé 155

1080 Bruxelles

www.garance.be

[email protected]

T/F: 02 216 61 16

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2929Welsh Women’s Aid, Pendragon House,Caxton Place, Pentwyn, Cardiff, CF23 8XE

02920 541 [email protected]@llinellgymorthbywhebofn.cymru

Registered Charity number 1140962

@welshwomensaid

www.welshwomensaid.org.uk