Last Updated on December 5, 2023, 2:33 AM AST by Anthony Morris
St Kitts and Nevis is observing a 16-day campaign against domestic violence. As part of the observation, several women in St Kitts and Nevis were exposed to various self-defence techniques to protect themselves or their loved ones in the event of an attack or domestic violence.
The training took place at the McKnight Community Center. The Ministry of Gender Equality organized this campaign in honour of women who are facing domestic violence.
St Kitts-Nevis Karate Federation President Clement Johnson led the training. President Clement Johnson holds a fifth-degree black belt in karate. He showed how to escape arm locks and chokes, do throws, do karate kicks, kicks, karate throws and more moves.
Mr Johnson praised the participants and highlighted that they were quicker learners than he expected and they fully embraced the lessons.
President Clement Johnson noted, “Today’s session was great. They learned as much as they could in one day; it worked well for them, especially those who were shy at first. Over time, they were able to relax and learn to defend themselves based on the training”.
Senior Gender Officer Shinnel Charles highlighted that it is crucial for people, especially women, to learn how to defend themselves in case they are being attacked.
Shinnel Charles said, “The importance of this is that if you are ever attacked, you will know how to defend yourself. You know how to get out of different locks. If you are ever in a fight or captured by a man or woman, you can protect yourself”.
Senior Gender Officer Shinnel Charles added that this activity will be organized again in 2024 in observation of the same campaign and encouraged those interested to wait for public announcements next time so that they can join. The annual 16-day activism against gender-based violence began on November 25 and will end on December 10.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
