Monday, 27th September 2021

Trident Manor Limited joined Media Cultured and Nur Fitness to deliver an Effective Proactive Protection for Women workshop. The workshop welcomed women from BME communities and taught them how they can proactively protect themselves from forms of violence, harassment, and discrimination.

Many women are subject to forms of violence, harassment, and discrimination which can occur at work, home, or in public spaces. The workshop first came to fruition after the case of Sarah Everard, a young woman who was tragically murdered in March 2021 by a police officer, Wayne Couzens. The severity of the incident struck the nation and reminded us that women continue to be targets of such heinous acts of violence. Managing Director of Trident Manor Limited, Andy Davis, first delivered the workshop virtually in March 2021. The success of the workshop grew as Andy was asked to deliver the workshop again for BME communities in Middlesbrough.

Founder of Media Cultured, Amjid Khazir introduced Andy to the attendees. Amjid works to promote unity and counter extremism and racism within the community through education, inclusion, and safeguarding workshops. Media Cultured partnered with Trident Manor to deliver this event as both organisations recognise the effectiveness of education to teach appropriate methods of safety. The workshop was held at Nur Fitness, a community organisation working to help BME women to live happier and healthier lives both physically and mentally founded by Shazir Noor. They offer services to improve mental health, employment, and skillsets for women in the Tees Valley area.

Andy highlighted proactive methods women can use to avoid becoming a victim of assault or harassment. One being Situational Awareness which enables us to recognise our environment and how it makes us feel. In scenarios where an attack might occur, it is important to be alert and vigilant to proactively identify suspicious elements in the surroundings. This can be due to who is present and what we see or hear them doing. Our senses are then able to determine how we respond through 'fight or flight'. It is important to take a 'flight' approach as it is safer to establish an escape plan rather than to encourage an attack by joining in on the 'fight'. Therefore, establishing enough space between the individual provoking an attack is more effective.

Women from varied Asian backgrounds joined us at the workshop to share their opinions and vulnerabilities with the group in the safe space that was provided. Some of the women were refugees, had experienced assault, and were work professionals looking for more insight on how to tackle the problem of women being victims. Those who attended now understand the identification of risks and how to handle them to prevent violence, harassment, and discrimination. We also provided a free handbook with all the key information mentioned in Andy’s presentation for them to revisit.

If you would like to attend our future safety workshops, please contact us on 01325 734849. We hope to hear from you soon!