PERİ BAYAV

İzmir - Women face a different aspect of male violence every day. Women have been subjected to increasing violence, harassment, and gendered attitudes every day and they have developed tactics for themselves to combat them. Some of them put men’s shoes outside the door of their apartment. Some of them use many tactics in public transport such as changing the position of their bags to protect themselves or wearing an engagement ring. But the most important tactic is self-defense. 

Many gyms organize self-defense courses and training programs for women according to their demands. However, the number of women, who cannot attend the courses due to financial difficulties, is high. Begüm Ateş gives free self-defense courses for women. 

Begüm Ateş, student of Ege University Faculty of Literature, Department of Art History, has been active in women’s struggle and worked on kickboxing for three years. Begüm took the course of kickboxing for one and a half years in a gym. Refusing to get a license for kickboxing, Begüm states that her issue is not being an athlete, but exhibiting an attitude towards life. She emphasizes that she wanted to learn this because as women they face so much difficulty walking on the streets. She points out that they constantly face violence wherever they take a bus, subway, or ferry. Stating that she wants to be able to defend herself against violence, Begüm says that she wants to practice it not only as a sport but also as a defense sport. Begüm mentions that recently a harassment incident took place on a metro bus in Istanbul. Everyone saw the video of the harassment incident and the abusive man was arrested. Begüm has been impressed by the courage of the harassed women. “We are not guilty, you are guilty.  Harassers, perpetrators are guilty,” Begüm says we have to defend ourselves against these crimes. 

“I gain self-confidence while practicing kickboxing. After the harassment incident on a metro bus in Istanbul, I made a call on my social media accounts. I don't have a license. But I am ready to teach those who want to learn it. We have space and equipment to teach them. About 20 women joined our first course. A 13-year-old girl also joined it along with her mother. There was also a 60-year-old woman. This shows how women unite for self-defense.”

One of her students noticed that she was followed while walking in the park last month. She began to walk faster. Her student told her, “I began to run but then I stopped. I told myself I know kickboxing and I ran towards the man. The man ran and went. Begüm's aim is not to train an athlete. She just wants women to feel their power of self-defense.