Nellore: Girl students to be trained in self-defense

Nellore: To instil confidence among girls to face eve-teasers, the state youth services department is going to train girl students in self-defence.

Police department too felt the need for such training as it takes some time for police teams to reach the spot to provide timely help to the victims of harassment.

The youth services department is planning to impart basic self-defence techniques to the selected candidates by experts in Karate and other martial arts for two months.

Initially, the department will identify Karate instructors who can teach techniques on self-defence and conduct orientation classes for them for two days on the contents of the self-defence module. According to sources, the department has decided to train around 12,500 girls across the state and 1,000 will undergo the training in the district.

Officials will identify 20-25 instructors of Karate and other martial arts who bagged blackbelt or other qualifications per district. A committee headed by district collector would select the instructors and send them to Guntur for a two-day training on self-defence techniques to be taught to the candidates. The instructors will be paid an honorarium of Rs. 5,000 per month besides a certificate from the government.

Five colleges will be selected in each revenue division from where 50 girls each will be selected for the training. Colleges would be selected by the district level committee and principal of the college concerned would act as Nodal Officer. Instructors would visit the college and provide training to the selected girls for one to one-and-a-half hours a day for 60 days.

The instructors teach Karate techniques, punches, hand strikes, kicks, basic blocks, fighting, use of available weapon and others as part of self-defence in 60 sessions. They also focus on developing self-confidence, on ways of concentration during attack or harassment, maintain poise when faced with unexpected and shocking situations. Officials are also planning to involve efficient teachers or professionals in psychology for providing classes on personality development and self-defence.