Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – Some 26 women lined up in pairs in the front yard of a house in Taman Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Sunday. Each of the women took turns trying to dodge an attack with an effective punch, strike or kick.
"Left! Right! Left! Right!" ordered Sensei Fahmi Syarief, the instructor of the martial arts class for women. It was not yet noon but the participants were full of energy and laughter.
Sensei Fahmi cracked one joke after another, making learning this tough combat sport both fun and easy.
The training focuses on perfecting basic knowledge – showing the women how to utilize their reflexes and bodies to protect themselves.
Amid the increasing number of reports of violence against women and crimes targeting women, classes like the one in Tanah Abang are being organized to empower women to act quickly if they think they might be attacked or are threatened.
According to the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), there has been a 45 percent increase in reported cases of violence against women, from 14,020 cases in 2004 to 20,391 cases in 2005. Some 85 percent of the cases were domestic violence with the perpetrators being mostly people familiar to the victims.
Outside, on the streets, working women have also become easy prey for muggers and rings of robbers operating from taxis.
The martial arts class for women is free of charge and the first of its kind in the country. Its founder, Titiana Adinda, said the class was initially organized in response to the deplorable conditions women were both working and living under.
Even with the high number of cases of crimes against women, there have yet to be any classes here that teach women how to defend themselves, said Titiana, who was formerly assistant coordinator at Komnas Perempuan. "Crisis centers should teach this kind of skill to women," she said.
In 2005, Komnas Perempuan data shows, 215 institutions dealt with more than 20,391 cases of violence against women. The institution included 59 crisis centers scattered across 20 provinces, which handled about 97 cases each year.
The class was assembled using the power of Internet technologies. It all began when Titiana uploaded her 2003 opinion piece, titled Violence against women: society's disease, on the Internet in September 2006. The article was previously published in national daily Kompas.
The 27-year-old woman, better known as Dinda, said an Indonesian-born Karate Sensei in the United States, Deddy Mansyur, read her piece and offered to help her establish self-defense classes for women here.
He contacted his friend and fellow karate instructor in Jakarta, Fahmi Syarief, who volunteered to teach the class for free.
Dinda said she promoted the class through the Internet by sending e-mails to a number of mailing lists, including Forum Pembaca Kompas (Kompas Reader's forum), Hanya Wanita (Just Women), Cita Cinta and Mediacare.
"We can't afford to advertise through the media, and I don't have enough friends to rely on them spreading the word, that's why my mailing list was the most effective means of telling people about the class."
The first course started in November with about 20 participants. At that time, practice was held in the Senayan Sports Complex, South Jakarta. Every Sunday, for five weeks, participants built coordination, agility, strength and poise.
The second course, with new particpants, is being conducted at Sensei Fahmi's house. "It's cleaner and more comfortable for doing push-ups and sit-ups," Dinda said.
She said most of the women were working women who had experienced violence. Dinda said she hoped the class inspired others to offer similar courses for women. She also plans to write a book on self-defense for woman.
"It's very important for every woman to learn to protect themselves. Every woman is at risk of violence: working women, stay-at-home wives and domestic and migrant workers," she said.
Thirty-four-year-old Betty Suryaningsih, a class participant, said she was once attacked by a knife-wielding mugger in Cilincing. "At that time I was scared and did not know what to do."
She said the self-defense class had taught her how to handle dangerous situations with simple moves. "We're taught to be alert. Sensei also told us how to dodge people who harass us, how to avoid being mugged and even how to fend off a taxi driver who attempts to rob us."
Fahmi said humans were encoded with the ability to protect themselves. "Utilizing your reflexes in the best possible way is the key to self-defense."
He said the class was strictly for women. "No man can enter this class, or else they would come to know the secrets of women's self-defense," he said smiling.