Violence Against Women and the Role of Martial Artist

The Faces of Martial Arts Project (FOMA Project) aims to shed light and ignite a conversation on a diverse set of cross-cultural themes, explored through the lens of martial artists from around the world. While in subsequent months we will analyze other issues, with March being Women’s History Month, we decided to focus on violence against women and some of the ways that martial arts intersects.

According to UN Women, approximately 35% of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime and up to 70% of women in America have been victims to an intimate partner. The statistics alone are striking and it is particularly disheartening to know that this data does not account for the many incidences that go unreported. It is also important to note that not all gender-based violence means being subjected to physical or sexual assault; it can take many forms including: political violence, economic violence, verbal abuse, femicide, stalking etc [1]. Unfortunately, we know there are female martial artists who are included in these stats.

As martial artists, we do not always have a conduit that brings us together to talk about these challenging issues. We are often on the mat and focused on the physical aspects of training, not always taking time to address the current social complexities that may be affecting us both internally and externally. Martial arts is unique in that it integrates a practice of defense and thus creates another layer to unpack when it comes to…