JEDDAH, 24 February 2004 — It is a known fact that women are vulnerable against all forms of physical assaults, including sexual harassment and rape. Not anymore.
This was the message of The Movement to Help Eradicate Rape & Other Female Abuses, or popularly known by its acronym “Mother”.
In an orientation session coinciding with Family Day at Al Hekma International School, volunteers from Mother demonstrated self-protection techniques specifically meant for women’s defense. “A kick in the groin” is one of the typical self-defense techniques taught, since the groin is one of the most vulnerable points in a man.
To illustrate the “bear hug from the front” (akap sa harap) technique when an assailant forcibly bear hugs the victim from the front, volunteers showed how one first executes a head butt to attacker’s nose (untog sa ilong) followed by a knee kick (tuhurin) on attacker’s groin. The second step is to execute a double palm heel pushing strike (itulak) to off-balance the attacker. The final step is to run and call for help.
Launched in July 1999, the Mother movement is a flagship project of the Filipino community in Riyadh. The mission is to empower all females to be able to defend themselves in the event of being attacked by equipping them with a built-in self-defense mechanism.
Although the Mother self-protection techniques were inspired from various martial art disciplines, according to its founder Perla Santos Vega, “we do not intend to transform women and girls into becoming masculine nor aggressive.”
“Our aim is to share defense awareness with women and girls to empower them with a built-in body guard, thus becoming less vulnerable against physical abuse.”
Vega is an active community leader who has been working in the Kingdom for more than 12 years. She is the recipient of various awards, including the Bagong Bayani Award in 2001.