Self-defence classes gave me the confidence to stand up to my abuser

Self-defence classes gave me the confidence to stand up to my abuser

My children should never have seen that (Picture: Getty Images/Westend61) ‘Get out of my house,’ I said firmly to my ex-partner.   It wasn’t easy. My children were screaming; my ex was pushing and slapping me. But I was adamant.   It was December 2023, and I was at home on the settee, feeling run down with a cold, when my ex – and the father of my children – arrived, uninvited.   He’d been verbally and physically abusing me for years, including …

New self-defence class aims to empower women

A new program at McGill University aims to give women the tools to respond to sexual assault A new self-defence program at McGill University this upcoming fall will offer Jiu-Jitsu classes for women. Courtesy Women Empowered