By Kira Gibson
Two Leicester-based women have decided to start self-defence classes for women after one was sexually harassed over the weekend in one of Leicester’s parks.
Wajeeda Yusef and Anisha Karolia have teamed up to start the workshops after lockdown restrictions get lifted.
The workshops will not only cover self-defence but also what to do next, how to report a crime and where to go to seek help.
The workshop is aptly named “#WomensSafetyMatters” and will be held by both men and women, in a way to help women become less fearful of the opposite gender.
This workshop has stemmed from Wajeeda’s own experience this past weekend (March 13) as she suffered being the target of public indecency.
Wajeeda cleverly filmed the man who performed the act and published it on her facebook page, as a way to explain that this can happen to anyone, anywhere and that the fear women feel is very much real. She also reported the incident to police.
In a clip recorded and played on BBC Radio Leicester this morning (March 16) she says: “I saw a man standing in front of me, I thought he was just minding his own business.
“Towards the end of my skipping session, he was there for about 15-20 minutes. I saw that his belt was open, his trousers were kinda down and he had a tissue.
“This needs to stop.”
The two women are asking men to become more vocal with others if they see someone performing an indecent act or abusing a woman.
For more information regarding the workshops, please contact fitnessfactoryleicester@gmail.com or contact them on their Facebook page.
To report a crime of sexual harassment or assault, please go to https://www.police.uk/pu/contact-the-police/report-a-crime-incident/ or call 101.
For anything that’s just happened, please call 999.
For mental health help in the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123.
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