With incidents of attacks on minors being reported often in the state, parents are becoming increasingly concerned about their children’s safety. As such, child rights activists and bodies working for women and child welfare are urging school and college authorities to include self-defence classes and make it mandatory for every student to learn.

“If we equip girls with self-defence skills, they can protect themselves and avert awkward situations. It will also send a strong message to the abusers that girls can protect themselves. Self-defence skills will empower the girl students in many aspects and every college and school should provide such classes to their students,” Ganta Hymavathi, chairperson of AP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, says.  

In one of the recent incidents, Shravani (name changed), a first-year intermediate student from Vijayawada was on her way to home from tuition classes when she was harassed and bullied by some youths of the colony where she lived. Frightened, she reported the incident neither to her parents or the authorities. Later, the harassers followed her to her home.

Troubled by this, she complained about the incident to her parents and lodged an FIR with the police.  
Under the Centre’s Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) programme, the government has proposed self-defence skills for girl students in educational institutions. Unfortunately, most of the schools and colleges have not included these classes in their course curriculum. “Just like how the schools and colleges allot periods for sports and physical activities, self-defense training should also be incorporated in the academics. This will be a great help to girl students,” Dr. Keerthi of Vasavya Mahila Mandali says.

Explaining the measures taken by the Vijayawada police, police commissioner Gautam Sawang says his department has conducted self-defence training classes in 109 colleges out of the total 191 in the city. “We are planning to continue with the self-defence training. The government initiations are not creating the impact it should,” he said.