1 February 2016

Wellington Community Education offers Self Defence Course for Women

“While women in Auckland are feeling sensitive about their safety after two women were murdered in January, Wellington women have a chance to learn some simple home and street safety techniques from a Wellington Community Education self defence course starting soon.

“I am aware that women in Auckland are feeling very sensitive about their personal safety with a ‘perfect storm’ of two women killed last month,” says Self Defence teacher Sue Lytollis.

“Sadly this is a little bit of ‘there but for the grace of God,’ as attacks on women can happen in any city and in any place,” she says. “While the majority of people who attack and sexually assault women are known to them, the incidents in Auckland, which appear to be stranger based, remind women there are some nasty people out there.”

Ms Lytollis, who created the 8 hour women led self defence courses in the 1980s, has been teaching Self Defence through the Community Education courses at Wellington High School for three years.

“Women who enrol will be taught how to think about ways they can be vulnerable and how to mitigate against that, no matter the attacker or situation,” she says.

She provides the following simple tips for women on the street -

• Have your mobile phone charged and ready for use to call 111, don’t have it hidden at the bottom of your bag

• If you pass a darkened area such as a park or walkway look into it as you pass rather than turn away

• Vary your route if you are a jogger and always scope out safe places to run to if you feel that you are being followed or harassed and if you can, tell someone of your intended arrival time home

• Be strong, loud and nasty if you consider that someone is following you or about to attack you. Stand strongly and yell “Back Off” or “Go Away” and keep yelling, keep your personal distance and run for help

• Report any incidents that concern you whether you have been kerb crawled by someone in a car, see someone acting suspiciously or you have been followed and escaped. The police always welcome reports of these kinds of incidents along with a description of the offender if possible. The Police are experts at finding trends in information reported to them and can be more aware of a pattern of behaviour if they receive multiple reports about a particular individual.

“While nothing may have prevented the two murders in Auckland, if women take action to feel more confident in their homes and the streets future attacks can be thwarted,” says Ms Lytollis.

The course begins from 5.30 – 7.30 pm on Tuesday evenings from February 16th. To contact

Sue Lytollis – 021900681 or lytollissue8@gmail.com

Course information is available at http://www.cecwellington.ac.nz/, call 04 385 8919 or email cec@whs.school.nz

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