In Dharavi, girls learn to defend themselves

International Women’s Day in Dharavi is being marked with a series of self-defence and health awareness workshops for adolescent girls across local schools. More than 1,500 girls from seven schools have already taken part in the programme, which focuses on helping students understand personal safety, physical well-being and confidence building. The organisers, NMDPL, said the initiative will gradually expand to more schools in the area.

The self-defence sessions are being conducted by martial arts trainer Dr Cheetah Yajnesh Shetty. Students are being taught basic techniques that can help them respond to unsafe situations. The training also focuses on situational awareness, quick decision making and simple defensive moves that can be used in emergencies.
“Every girl should feel confident, alert and prepared,” Shetty said during one of the workshops. He added that the sessions are meant not only to teach physical techniques but also to help young girls develop mental strength and awareness.


Alongside the self-defence training, health awareness sessions are being conducted by counsellors from the Family Planning Association of India (FPAI). These sessions focus on menstrual hygiene, puberty, and awareness around good touch and bad touch. The aim is to help girls better understand their health and encourage them to speak up if they face inappropriate behaviour thereby discerning between ‘good touch and bad
touch’.

Students said the workshops helped them learn about personal safety as well as everyday health practices. “This workshop was very useful,” said a student from Morning Star English School. “We learnt self-defence, personal hygiene and how to take care of our health. It has made us feel more confident,” the student added. Counsellor Dr Tejasvi Hindalekar of FPAI said many adolescent girls hesitate to talk about their health or personal boundaries. She said such workshops create a safe environment where students can ask questions without being judged and learn how to seek help when needed.

The initiative is supported by Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd (NMDPL), the SPV executing the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. The programme forms part of its broader community engagement efforts in the area.