A Guelph martial arts studio is stepping up in hopes of keeping the community safe.
Guelph Family Martial Arts has launched a free, public workshop in response to growing concerns after police reported a pair of sexual assaults in March.
A 45-year-old Kitchener man was charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement after a woman was forced inside a stranger’s vehicle while she was out walking in the early hours of the morning on March 14 near Willow Road and Silvercreek Parkway North where she was then sexually assaulted.
In a separate incident that took place on March 18, witnesses intervened when a woman was sexually assaulted at a crosswalk near Speedvale Avenue West and the Hanlon Expressway.
Police said a 19-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly followed the woman, pulled down her pants and sexually assaulted her in front of witnesses.
The two incidents prompted a release from the Guelph Police Service that provided safety tips to avoid being attacked and what to do if you are.
But for many in the community, they said it wasn’t enough.
“It made me really sad and frankly, quite angry,” said Meghan McMurtry, a member of Guelph Family Martial Arts.
In the wake of these attacks, the studio invited women in the Guelph community to learn practical skills in self-protection, awareness and confidence.
“It’s an issue in a lot of communities,” said founder of Guelph Family Martial Arts, Nathan Skoufis. “It’s not only [about] showing up to a workshop and learning self-defence moves, it’s about having that awareness and confidence that everybody really should feel comfortable in their communities.”
Skoufis is no stranger to the fight—he’s a 6th-degree black belt, world champion, and proud Guelph native.
For participant, Jocelyn Irvine, Sunday’s workshop was eye-opening.
“I’m a mom of a young daughter, so I think also questioning myself on self-defence and being aware of the situation that I should get away from is important,” she said. “Just to raise awareness and to make women feel more comfortable talking about issues like this because so many women, if something does happen to them, they don’t say anything.”
For McMurtry, it was an opportunity to teach others the skills she learned in the studio and apply them in real-life scenarios.
“An event like this can bring us all together and help women feel empowered and safer and feel like they’re equipped with knowledge that will help them feel confident on the street,” said McMurtry.
But Skoufis said their work doesn’t stop here.
“[Plan on] meeting with a number of organizations, whether that’s people at the school board, elected officials, trying to really see what we can do.”
Both advocates and community members alike are pushing for the conversation to grow louder and for action to go further.
“We’re going to be going to different kind of municipal and provincial and federal governments to try to get the conversation going and understand that this is an ongoing issue that we really need to address, because the stigma is definitely there,” said Skoufis.
“Seeing different women from different ages, different walks of life, coming together for that...it makes me feel hopeful that we can turn things around,” said McMurtry.
