On Mndela Day we, Rock Girls, were empowered through a special session - one which will benefit us for the rest of our lives: self-defence.
The aim of the workshop was to teach us how to defend ourselves in life-threatening situations. It also allowed us an opportunity to reflect on our cruel and harsh realities.
According to statistics, South Africa has one of the highest reported incidence of rape in the world and most of the time, women are the victims.
Statistics further show every few minutes a rape is reported in Africa.
This means while you are reading this, someone is being raped.
Women, we are never truly safe.
Whether we are on our daily commutes to school or to work or even while we are relaxing in our own homes, we must always be prepared to protect ourselves.
Our assailants may be our neighbour, a family member or someone we have never met.
We know there are dangers, but we always hold on to that hope that it won’t be us, that we won’t be the next victim.
We cannot predict what will happen, nor can we prevent it, but at least with self-defence skills, we can be prepared.
There exist simple tips and tools which can help us: first, always listen to your instincts and be aware of your surroundings.
Pay attention to all your senses: what you hear, what you see and how you feel.
If you hear something that is unfamiliar to you, be sceptical. This goes for seeing and feelings as well.
Instinct is a powerful tool and one you should trust if you feel something is off about a certain situation.
By just using an alert way of thinking, you could save your life.
You can also save your life by taking physical action against an attacker.
When a victim fights back it throws the attacker off guard.
This is because victims are perceived to be helpless and weak, but with our self-defence skills we will show them they are wrong.
Once the attacker is thrown off-guard we have the opportunity to take a hit at them and run away as fast as possible until we reach a safer and more public place.
By doing something as simple as kicking them down below or hitting your elbow into their stomach hard you buy yourself time to escape and directly become your own hero.
We are not telling you to change your social life and not go to the movies, or go walking around town with a friend.
You have the right to your life and no one is allowed to take that from you.
You just must go into these situations being more aware and more prepared, so if an attacker strikes, you can escape.
Self-defence is empowering as a whole.
It is yours and no one can take it away from you.
We will be strong. We will not take this anymore. We will stand up for ourselves and we will fight back.
As Rock Girls, we are now equipped with skills to protect ourselves from outside dangers.
We will not take this treatment anymore.
We can be our own heroes. We are strong. We are empowered.