Se a gS a ie page 10 THE OTHER PRESS Thursday, March 29, 1984 Wen-Do Works for Women What would you do if... You were grabbed from behind while walking to the bus stop after a by MANUELA DIAS reprinted from the Manitoban by Canadian University Press Tate class? If you were in a room at a party using the phone and a strange man walked in and locked the door? If, if, if --- it could never happen to COLD BUFFET eR ARRAS " 3 AHA’ ree Dana Montgomery Ee) ete Sea eam Oe _6thAnnual | Collese Cruise April Z0th,1984 TICKETSBY ADVANCESALE AT THE STUDENT SOCIETY 2320, INTHE ACTIVITY ROOM 1606, OR FROM YOUR FAVORITE STUDENT REP. NO MINORS USIC BY ROSCOE'S TWO DANCE FLOORS $10.00 PER PERSON you, right? Wrong! Every eight minutes a woman is assaulted in Canada. The chances of ‘being attacked are high -- one in 17 women are raped -- and that is increasing. Attacks happen in broad daylight and at night; they happen to elderly women and to infants; outdoors‘and in the home. There is no ‘‘usual’’ attack situa- ”, PRIZES Doug Watson Jr. Malaspina College Cobble Hill, B.C. TELECOM CCM CURR MTRUCem RatT Distance “Phone Sweet Home” Contest. We wish them many years of great driving. And to the other students who participated - our thanks. It was good OC UC mm ULC CL Us ty MOOR CRC Cy mM CTHIR WLU MH mm Te @ Cm STR Wl MMC UCN EM COM TaN exams, and have a super Summer. tion, and there is no sure-fire method of protection. Wen-Do is a woman’s way. The techniques assume the attacker will be bigger and stronger than the woman, and they can be used by any woman regardless of her strength or degree of physical fit- ness. ; A typical 16-hour Wen-Do course teaches hard and soft techniques, cree ee a LIBR (4 Ryerson College CMU EEL adapted and refined from the mar- tial arts. Half the time is spent in discussions, building and under- standing of how assault situations develop, plus the psychological pre- paredness to take appropriate action against an attacker. Being aware of potential danger does not mean avoiding all possible dangerous situations, nor does it mean walking around in combat % boots 24 hours a day. But women should be aware of the limitations of high heel shoes, the course teaches. Wen-Do teaches women to be assertive. Women learn appropriate responses to varying degrees of dangers, as well as useful tech- niques in daily situations, such as discouraging an_ over-affectionate dance partner. ‘‘In Wen-Do, we encourage wo- men to respond actively when they are aggressed,’’ says Montreal in- structor Lisa Jones. ‘Women have been taught “to believe they shouldn’t make a scene and blame themselves when something hap- pens. For example, men will touch women on the Metro and feel secure in their belief that the woman will stay quiet because of embarrass- ment.”’ Jones told the story of an ac- quaintance who, while on the Met- ro,grabbed a male hand pressing against her buttock, raised it and yelled, ‘‘who’s the pig at the end of this hand?’’ ‘Everyone looked immediately nd the guy fled. This is an example f Wen-Do in action,’’ Jones said. At the end of the course, the women break an inch-thick wooden board, an exhilarating and empow- ering experience. They have now become proficient enough at kicks and punches to permanently maim or kill a man if necessary. Women must overcome a lot of psychological barriers before they can see themselves as hurting some- one, Walsh says, and men are also threatened by the concept of women having this power. ‘“‘When we women start taking care of ourselves, that’s a definite challenge to society,’’ Walsh says. But if women are in a life or death situation they need this pow- er. Just as Wen-do breaks down the myth of the helpless woman, it demystifies the typical rapist as a stranger lurking in the dark. In one half of all rapes the victim knows the rapist, and 45 percent of all rapes occur either in the victim’s or the attackers home. Rapists are ordinary men. Better street lighting or staying indoors is no protection against a boyfriend, acquaintances or family members. Wen-Do has changed women’s lives by providing them with an alternative to helplessness. Bette could have allowed herself to be raped that night, but it wasn’t her only option. When men attack women, they assume they are easy targets. But maybe one day, instead of being in danger as women alone, it may be dangerous to attack a woman alone. of