By Hermoine Macura-Noble
Special to The Times Kuwait
Around one in three women have been subjected to physical or sexual violence in their life, according to UN Women data. And this figure does not include sexual harassment. And while at least 158 countries have passed various laws on domestic violence, and 141 have laws on sexual harassment, the best way to prevent violence and crime against women is to empower women with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves.
Founder of US-based company Conflict Defense, John Duza, has helped thousands of people learn life-saving skills to help them stay safe in today’s world. “It’s becoming essential for everyone to learn how to protect themselves and their loved ones from criminal attacks. Criminals have reshaped our way of life. We must adapt to these dangers to keep our families safe from harm. We worry against home invasions, sexual assaults, car-jackings, muggings, assaults, and murder instead of living in peace,” explains Duza.
A master instructor in mixed martial arts and tactical defense training, Duza teaches life-saving skills to defend against criminal attackers or bullies and to escape without injury. “Learning self-defense skills also empowers individuals to be good Samaritans to help others in distress. Internally, it builds discipline, ambition, confidence, good morals, and empowerment while harnessing a deeper strength to unleash the warrior within,” adds Duza.
The common mistake most people make is that they must be aware of their surroundings, explains Duza. “They are distracted by their phones or on social media, texting, playing phone games, or watching videos in public. They would never react in time to a criminal attack or any other safety hazards.” Another mistake is being too engaged with friends and not being observant of your surroundings and potential threats. “When people are distracted or too engaged with whatever they are doing, they don’t see the signs of an attack coming until it’s too late, and they become victims. Remember, awareness buys you time, time buys you options, options buy you survivability and escape,” says Duza.
Situational awareness is vital for personal safety, and using your eyes and ears to look for potential dangers that may cross your path is one of the first things to do to stay safe. Also, looking down at your phone with headphones on in public is another habit that could leave you open to risk.
‘Some tips for situational awareness include constantly looking all around you every few steps to make sure no one is stalking you for an attack, listening for alarming sounds like footsteps running towards you or a car speeding towards you with criminal intent, and being cautious when alone in transitional spaces such as an elevator, stairwell, hallway, street alley, where someone can trap you for an attack, advises Duza.
Other great tips he also recommends are to lock your doors as soon as you’re in your car or home, stay in a group when going out to parties or vacationing in foreign countries, avoid flashy jewelry in public, and be cautious when out at night since criminals use the darkness to attack and get away easier.
“Learning self-defense techniques can help women become physically and mentally stronger to protect themselves from harm at any age. I use a combination of training drills and techniques to enhance their performance so they become a Force Multiplier. I also teach laws of leverage to combat an attacker’s muscular strength so women can execute defensive tactics against any sized attacker regardless of their strength. I’ve helped hundreds of women become empowered, vigilant, and prepared to defend their safety. These skills have to be practiced to master and become a daily habit. If you must rely on conscious thinking to remember a technique against an attack, it’s too late, and you’re a victim. It must be subconscious thinking to move and execute defensive tactics immediately,” explains Duza.
As for children, Duza says that children as young as six can start learning self-defense. “It’s important for children to learn self-defense to defend against child predators. It also helps them defend against bullies so they don’t go through any torment and abuse. Martial arts also help children develop enhanced cognitive thinking, coordination, balance, agility, strength, mental focus, discipline, confidence, and ambition. It can guide children to stay on the right path for success and keep them from straying to bad behavior and criminal intentions,” Says Duza.
The first 30 seconds of an attack determine your odds of being a survivor or a victim. The odds diminish against you the longer you stay engaged, as the attacker may now pull out a weapon, or you may get injured or exhausted in defending, or another attacker may appear and join the attack against you. “The priority is to inflict an initial quick devastating attack to buy enough time to run away and seek help while impeding the attacker’s ability to chase you. I recommend jamming the thumb or fingers into the attacker’s eyeballs or smashing the kneecaps. The pain is intense and now takes away the ability of the attacker to chase you. The pain affects the physiological and psychological threshold of the attacker, so they are focused on their injuries rather than their ulterior motives against you,” concludes Duza.
By Hermoine Macura-Noble
The first Australian English speaking News Anchor in the Middle East. She is also the Author of Faces of the Middle East and Founder of US-based 501c3 charity – The House of Rest which helps to ease the suffering of victims of war. For more from our Contributing Editor, you can follow her on Instagram, here.
