Recent studies indicate that "sexual assault" is an endemic problem worldwide.

Of the estimated 78,000 rapes in England and Wales, every year, only about 20% a reported and only 1,070 become convictions!

It also confirmed the prevalence of "date rape"

Fighting back remains the most effective strategy to thwart sexual assaults

One prevailing popular belief is that resistance will lead to being injured or more severely injured.

So, what about self-defence training? Does it really work?

"We know that women’s resistance can stop assault, and that self-defence training enhances women’s ability to resist"

"women who took a ten-week (30hrs) self-defence training were significantly less likely to experience unwanted sexual contact than those who didn't."

Women who completed a thirty-hour self-defence class (blue) and those who did not (red) reported different types of unwanted sexual contact over a one-year period.

Self-defence training is about empowering women. It's about giving them the choice

"I am not about to sit around waiting for a mammoth cultural shift before I feel safer on the streets. Until society changes, what’s wrong with any woman equipping herself with some of the skills that could give her a fighting chance? Self-defence is not my responsibility; it is my choice, just as it is every woman’s choice." Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

“One facet of this paradox is the fact that one person – the perpetrator – holds sole responsibility for the decision to assault someone. The other is the fact that people at risk of violence can take effective steps to increase their own safety.”

The more a woman is groomed in traditional behaviors of female socialization and platitudes of politeness the more at risk she becomes" Melissa Soalt



"perpetrators are 100% RESPONSIBLE but that does not mean that intended victims and survivors are 100% POWERLESS" Susan Schorn

"we now know that giving women the right skills, and building the confidence that they can use them, does decrease their experience with sexual violence. This is our best short-term strategy while we wait for cultural change.” Charlene Senn

Self-protection training is not only about fighting

Self defense means giving yourself permission to do what might otherwise be unthinkable. It also means giving yourself permission to say it straight, to speak your mind." Melissa Soalt

"With the right kind of training women are better able to discern the warning signs of assault. They are clearer about their own desires in an interaction, and more willing to speak and act on their own behalf.” Jocelyn Hollander

, you've probably been told that fighting back would just make things worse?This sounds like a sensible advice...Except, it is not.Common sense is often made up of much prejudice.The most effective strategy to thwart sexual assaults is forceful resistance (i.e. fighting back). And there's tons of research that confirms this.But before we get into the thick of the argument, let's have a brief look at sexual assault statistics.In Britain, the grim statistics ("one in three women", "one in five women") have been widely reported by the media such as Metro , the Dailymail The Independent or The Guardian (see infographic below).In the US, the statistic stirred controversy, particularly in the context of university campus -see for example this piece from the Time (2014) or this one from the Washington Post (2014)- with opinions ranging from "misleading numbers" to "problem vastly underreported".In 2015, a nationwide survey by the Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation corroborated these numbers. Although the statistic is still debated ( Why the Prevalence of Campus Sexual Assault Is So Hard to Quantify ), the report highlights the pervasiveness of the problem and the lack of adequate responses by the authorities.The term describes sexual crimes involving friends or acquaintances where the rapist ignored a "no" (or never sought a "yes"), by contrast to the stereotype of the rapist as a unknown predator lurking in the dark.It is important to make it clear that "consent" means a "yes". And that the absence of "no" doesn't mean a "yes". Particularly if the victim is incapacitated (this highlight the issue of alcohol incapacitation).As a society, we still have a long way to go to eradicate sexual harassment and sexual assault. Until then, teaching women to defend themselves can make a huge difference.Ask French journalist(" I've been attacked, but I'm fine "), ESPN Exec(" How I Escaped a Rapist ") or The Telegraph ), among many others, who decided to fight back ().These stories which make compelling cases in point for forceful resistance, are not anecdotal evidence.As a matter of fact, research conducted since the 70ies has consistently shown that fighting back is actually the most effective strategy to thwart sexual assaults.Studies such as (2005) or (1993) or(1992), indeed show that women who respond with physical and verbal resistance to the offender's violent attack significantly reduce the probability that a rape would be completed.In the 1990's, German commissionerexamined 522 cases of rapes and attempted rapes to see whether fighting back was a good strategy. Result: fighting back had a 85% success rate., director of the NGO Garance , says that data they collect indicate a 90% success rate (" Ladies, against assaults nothing match fighting ").Research has shown that there's no correlation/relationship between verbal and physical resistance and the amount of injury sustained (see references at the end of this article). In other words, resistance does not increase the risk of injury.Do you know what actually does increase the risk of injury?According to these studies, 2005 ).Additionally, studies show that victims of sexual assault who fight back recover physically and mentally faster.Yes it does.There are decades of data, referenced by the US National Institute of Justice , that support the effectiveness of self-defense for women in stopping rape and sexual assault.There are numerous real-life stories that corroborate this. Have a look at these recent cases:Whether you use Krav Maga boxing or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (among others), technique is an equalizer and it can go a long way:Still not sold? Keep reading., a professor of sociology who study violence against women, recently ran an experiment to assess the efficiency of The results of her study show thatIn a similar experiment,, a women’s studies professor at the University of Windsor, tracked nearly 900 women at three Canadian universities over a 4-year period Students were randomly assigned to two groups. One group would to take at least one 12-hour self-defence training ("resistance group"), while the second group would received only brochures ("control group").One year later, the number of rapes reported by women who took the program (resistance group) was half the number reported by women from the control group; the gap in incidents of attempted rape was even wider.Women in the "resistance group" learned to recognize and avoid risky situations, and were also more likely to stop coercive behaviour before it escalated, using forceful physical strategies if necessary ( see detailed article of the study ).The results of these studies are further supported by earlier research by the self-defence instruction company They surveyed 60,000 of their female students . 98.3% reported no assaults.More interestingly, among 1,021 who reported having been threatened with assault, 800 managed to de-escalate the situation and avoid physical confrontation. So that's a 78.35% success rate for this sub-group, just using voice, assertiveness and body language.221 were involved in a physical attack. Of those reported 221 assaults, 214 (97%) graduates successfully fought off their attacker.Self-defense is a valuable and well proven tool to prevent sexual assault.Giving women the skills to defend themselves does not mean they are to blame when an assault occurs.At this point, it is important to note that "softer" methods for sexual violence prevention (such as brochures, informational workshops, etc) are sometimes used. The results of these targeted programs for men and for women have mostly been disappointing (see Lonsway & al. 2009 ).Equating the promotion of women's self-defence with victim-blaming illustrate what self-protection experthas called “the self defence paradox.” Award-winning women's self defense expert and former trauma psychotherapistbrilliantly explains why victim-blaming is such a toxic mindset ( Safety yes, Blaming No! ) and why learning self-defence is so important for women ( Being Nice Can Kill You) Personally, when someone brings the "victim-blaming" point, I use the following analogy to point out the issue with this mindset:As a society, we've waged a full-on campaign against drunk driving. It is mostly working. But, at the same time, there will always be people who get behind the wheel when they shouldn't. We can't stop them unfortunately.What we can do is learn how to handle our vehicles confidently and competently and learn how to avoid or minimize accidents when possible.That still won't stop us from getting hit by a drunk drivers, and if it ever happen, it will be that driver's fault.Similarly, it's naive to think sexual violence will ever go away completely. We cannot control the thinking or the actions of rapists, but we can empower women to defend themselves to prevent and survive an assault.In our fight against harassment and sexual violence, we need multiple strategies and self-defence training is a good one.It is also about de-escalation, awareness , avoidance, learning how to be more assertive and standing up for yourself.Techniques should be based on quick reactions, swift movements and leverage rather than physical strength making them ideal against bigger and stronger opponents. They should also be easy to assimilate regardless of age, gender, athletic attributes or body type.A good programme should emphasize the most likely threats and the most adapted solutions. And self-protection skills are just one part of what you'll get (see also The multiple benefits of self-defence training for women ).