On December 28, 2023, as part of the Cabinet Office's "Campaign to Eliminate Violence Against Women,"Self-defense workshop for a safe campus: "Crime prevention self-defense techniques for escaping"The event was held at the Hakodate Campus.
This workshop consists of a lecture in the first half to learn about crime prevention and a practical session of self-defense techniques in the second half. It was designed to improve the knowledge and awareness of crime prevention and self-defense among members of the university community. The workshop was held at the Sapporo campus last December and was very well received.
Following on from last time, we welcomed Ms. Orie, who is active in various media as a comprehensive crisis management advisor, as our lecturer, and approximately 30 people participated, including faculty and staff such as navigators, as well as students.
In the first half of the lecture, Ms. Orie gave us a presentation on self-defense through knowledge, using concrete examples to illustrate topics such as crime prevention awareness and principles, the realities faced by victims, and the psychology of perpetrators.
Furthermore, they discussed practical ways to protect oneself and escape, taking into account the differences in muscle strength between genders.
After learning knowledge and principles in the classroom session, the second half of the session involved practical exercises where participants physically practiced "self-defense to escape," including how to react when grabbed by the hand or shoulder, how to hug someone, and how to speak up. It was impressive to see how much fun everyone seemed to be having in the practical exercises, perhaps because it was their first physical activity together in a while.
Voice of participants
- I don't know if I'd actually be able to act if I were in a situation where I needed to escape, but I think I could remember what I learned in this training and be motivated to escape. I think there's a big difference between having experience and not having it, so I'm glad I participated in the training. Thank you.
- I had previously attended other self-defense workshops, but I felt that I would only learn techniques and wouldn't remember or be able to use them in a real emergency. This time, however, I was able to learn about mindset and other aspects, and I appreciated that they considered whether the techniques would actually be useful.
- When I thought of self-defense, I had the image of fighting, but I learned that escaping is the top priority. I think that taking the course will help me control my panic in an emergency. The instructor was kind and gave a thoughtful lecture, which allowed me to listen attentively. The practical exercises were great because I was able to actually experience how to break free from an attacker's grip and how to escape. I truly feel that taking this course was worthwhile. After it was over, many people who hadn't taken the course asked me how it was, and I was happy to be able to share what I had learned with them.
In order to create a safe and secure campus environment for learning, and to ensure that no member of the student community becomes either a victim or a perpetrator, we hope that everyone will raise their knowledge and awareness of crime prevention, self-defense, and violence.
