Self-defence, a necessity for our society

FREDERICK KEBADIRETSE
Staff Writer | Friday August 6, 2010 00:00

Women often fall victims because they easily give up upon being confronted or attacked. They will then raise the alarm after the criminals have long fled the scene and there is nothing much one can do to help. Wait a minute, who says men are not easy prey? To tell the truth everyone can be a victim nowadays. Most men will talk about how they would put up a good fight before giving up their expensive cell phones, wallet or wristwatch to the assailant. Wait until he sees the blazing sharp blade of an' Okapi' knife being brandished in front of his eyes and the thought of being threatened than it will in a matter of time cut through your skin if you do not quickly comply to the thug's demands.

I am mentioning this knife, which has since carved itself a niche in Setswana culture, because it has become the envy of every elderly man, with or without teeth, for its mastery to assist in eating meat in traditional feasts, homes and even at funerals. The wooden brown-handled knife is the commonest weapon reported by victims to have been used by thugs in attacks. Well, you do not need a licence to own one and it is available even in rural tuck shops, no wonder it is popular. For women, these attacks can even be worse, because it may not often end with the robbery, but in the painful rapes, which have ravaged our societies in recent times. We often hear of stories of a rapist on a rampage, or a serial killer on the loose, terrorising women. I remember the story of a cowboy wannabe killer who last year killed five women in Kanye. He later reportedly 'hanged' himself in a police cell using a blanket while investigations were still ongoing. All these incidents occur when the victim least expects them. You may be knocking off from work, walking down the street; going to board a taxi; visiting a friend; in a parking lot and even in our homes. Have you ever stopped and wondered for a minute what you would do if you were attacked? Well, many people will prefer to surrender their valuables in order to preserve the 'precious' life.

You can afford to replace that laptop, phone or wristwatch. But for how long are you going to keep on unwillingly 'donating' your valuables to these thugs? Remember you worked to earn that property.

Society must get organised so that girls and women in particular, can feel free to go for a walk or shopping without fear of being attacked. Some will argue that it is the work of the police to ensure citizens are safe and secure.

Yes, the police are there, visible on the street and are doing a fine job, but every week they release crime statistics, which show that rape, common theft and assault cases are on the increase. In most of these crimes, the thugs will often use violence to get whatever they want. Most of them are not armed, save for those with the 'Okapi' in their pocket. The victims will always cry about being 'defenceless' in the situation. What is being defenceless? Was there absolutely no way the victim could have repelled the enemy and defended him/herself and his/her property? This is where the idea of 'self-defence' is vital for everyone.

What is self-defence? Self-defence is a term used to describe defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. Self-defence can be used when one is in a situation where not using it would have led to death, serious injuries, property damage and loss. Most of the incidents mentioned above would have been avoided had the victims had some knowledge on self-defence. I know some people are already thinking, ' I cannot learn to fight, I am a woman, I cannot defend myself.' Wait a minute, all of us can learn to defend ourselves. Many people think of self-defence as fighting or using force against an attacker, while it is actually about using your 'smart' self to get out of a potentially dangerous situation. Self-defence does not only imply using weapons or fighting with an Okapi brandishing criminal to win and get away. It actually discourages putting up a fight in a situation, but rather escaping or getting away from that situation.

A good self-defence class can teach you how to size up a situation and decide in an instant what to do to ensure you and your property stay safe.

There are basically three types of self-defences one can learn: physical, avoidance and personal alarm.

Physical self-defence can involve the use of techniques, training methods and strategies to use to defend yourself. These techniques consist of movements such as striking certain parts of the body, creating space in order to escape. The strategies are for 'how' and 'when' to apply the techniques. Many types of martial arts are practised for self-defence or include some techniques of self-defence. Some may include the use of weapons (armed) while some are unarmed. Armed here I do not mean getting an Okapi too, or an AK47. No sophisticated weapons are required for self-defence, just every day objects like softball bats, sjambok, and even aerosol sprays can be used for self-defence.

We can even revert to the traditional Motswana man's use of a knobkerrie (molamu). A man had to have it whenever he went to sleep, or took a walk in the bush alone. Well, it had another purpose then (killing wild animals) but at least he always had something to use in self-defence. These days we just go to sleep, wake up in the middle of the night and a thug is breaking in, knife in hand, and you are defenceless, and have to 'give away' your property and hard earned cash.

In some societies around the world where raping was rampant, women enrolled for self-defence classes and rapes have gone down significantly in the areas as the rapists also understand the amount of risk they are putting themselves through if they try to rape someone. Women can even carry pepper sprays to blind the attacker and flee before being attacked or raped.  So, Botswana as a society should start embracing self-defence, learn it and help the police to help us stay safe. We cannot depend on the cops to guard us every moment; we also have to do something for our own safety, otherwise we will keep losing our property and valuable lives at the hands of criminals. Most gyms and fitness centres offer self-defence classes these days. Anyone can enrol and we can move around with some confidence that we can defend ourselves. For parents, do not discourage those kids who want to join the boxing and karate clubs at school. This is where it all starts. One day they will defend you and you will see how important those clubs were.