Do you have to wait?...

"London: A third of teenage girls have been victims of sexual violence by a boyfriend, campaigners in the UK said on Sunday.

Experts fear that some do not even realise they are victims of a crime and others are too terrified or embarrassed to speak out."

These are the first lines of an article in the news that I saw... its horrible! Please read the full article here to get a full insight into what is happening: http://gulfnews.com/news/world/uk/uk-ad-urges-rape-victims-to-speak-out-1.990646

The issue they are trying to raise is that young girls are so ill-informed on what sexual violence is and that they don't understand when its happening, and if they do understand they have no idea how to stop it. They blame the problem on the sexualisation of teenagers as TV, films and the internet bombard them with provocative messages, causing them to define sexual consent too loosely. 

I believe that this is true... but I also believe that if they are taught  what sexual consent really is, and give them a method of preventing someone from crossing the boundaries that they set, then the problem can be dramatically reduced. 

This is why in Evade's Empowering Women program, we made sure that a section of this program was dedicated to teaching young girls about the importance of awareness, the importance of knowing how to say no and the truth about sexual violence and what consent is. 

Do you have to wait until your daughter or friend, or even yourself is a victim of an assault or violence before you take action? No. Preparation is key to eradicating this problem and its starts with simple call or email to 01457 860178 or Alex@evadeblackbeltschool.com. 

Prepare yourself by taking part in a FREE Empowering Women Seminar at Evade on 19th May 2012. Can you leave it to chance?  

Which path is your child on?

Just seen an article in the newspaper this morning about parts of British cities (Manchester included), and how they are becoming 'no-go areas' controlled by drug-dealing gangs, being compared to cities in the US and Mexico.


Please read the full report here: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/891673-cities-in-uk-are-becoming-no-go-drug-ghettoes


Which leads you to thinking... why is this happening? 


Well, according to the article, 'mobsters' are are using drugs to enslave vulnerable youngsters and lead them into gangs and crime. And in my opinion, these youngsters just simply don't know any better. I feel so thankful that I joined Evade at such a young age and have followed the lifestyle of a martial artist, while most of the people of a similar age to me were drinking on the streets; potentially leading to gangs and violence, I was on the mat training and having fun; learning how to stand up and say no!


At Evade, we teach kids about drug defence and how to say no to peer pressure, we give them a voice! I will be forever grateful for this and every child should have the chance that I had to get on the right path of life. 


Alex Morton