TMU students follow Wen-Do women’s self-defence workshop as a “last measure” to feeling safe on campus 

The gloomy atmosphere in Kerr Hall East has been making students feel uneasy since the sexual assault on Oct. 26, 2022. (TMU J-SCHOOL/Aliya Karimjee)

Published on CanCulture Magazine, this is solely a repost.

Disclaimer/TW: This story contains content on sexual assault. 

Women at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) are taking their safety into their own hands with the Wen-Do women’s self-defence workshop since the sexual assault incident in Kerr Hall East.

The young generation believes society has a toxic culture teaching women how to prevent danger; they shouldn’t walk outside at night or go to clubs – but avoiding bathrooms to be safe from sexual assault was never on that list.

TMU’s community of women shares their worries. 

Alessandra Plancarte, an exchange student in the Creative Industries program and a Wen-Do participant, expresses how unfair it is that women have to learn self-defence strategies and fear going to the bathroom because men can’t control themselves. 

“Men just worry about school, their grades, their friends, while girls have to worry about other things besides school, [while] at school,” said Plancarte in an in-person interview. 

After conducting eight interviews with different women on campus, they unanimously expressed their concern about safety in Kerr Hall. 

“There’s always stories we hear about; it’s not like it can never happen to us,” said a New Media student Ayah Noor.

Due to the high level of safety concerns, Wen-Do, a women’s self-defence class designed for women by women, is promoted to help empower women and is seen by many as the only way to be safe on campus.

Leslie Allin, a Wen-Do instructor, coaches students on self-defence techniques in case they must physically and verbally protect themselves.

“Nobody should be following others in washrooms. My understanding of the situation is that the young woman fought back. She confronted the attacker and was able to get away, which took a lot of courage,” said Allin.

Allin appreciates that in this class, women are witnessing themselves stepping into power, recognizing that they deserve much more.

For this reason, Wen-Do is genuinely empowering and is “making a difference one student at a time,” said Allin.

Isabella Iula, a first-year Journalism student, believes the Wen-Do class is a good resource, “it’s helped me a lot to feel safer, especially as a woman in first-year.” 

Consent Comes First (CCF) organizes Wen-Do workshops for TMU community members. 

Tiffany Wong, a sexual violence specialist at CCF, took part in the class and felt safer, confident and empowered. 

“CCF creates opportunities for people affected by violence to cultivate safety, healing and leadership on their own terms,” said Wong in an email. 

Allin states that until society has better-trained boys, Wen-Do will be available to keep empowering women to fight against the targeted violence based on male entitlement to women’s bodies and misogyny.

As danger is constantly around, “having to take a self-defence class is so sad, but it is the last measure,” said Sarme Saseeharan, a Graphic Communications Management student.

“You must be prepared to defend yourself because the school won’t help you,” said Saseeharan.