On March 8th, celebrating the International Women’s Day, GMA Ricardo Almeida Jiu Jitsu (RABJJ) will be hosting a  a special Rape Safety & Personal Safety Class.

Prof. Ricardo is putting together a class that incorporates fitness elements of interval training with self defense techniques designed for rape and abduction prevention. The special class is happening this Saturday, 9:00am at RABJJ in New Jersey – 380 Corporate Blvd, Robbinsville, New Jersey; and 10:30am in Pennsylvania – 2829 S Eagle Road, Newtown, Pennsylvania. It is open to all members, families and community.

For more information visit www.ricardoalmeida.com or call (609) 208-2000.

Violence against women is a universal phenomenon. Here in the United States the statistics are alarming. Nearly 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted, which means that there is an average of 237,868 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year. (U.S. Department of Justice. National Crime Victimization Survey. 2008-2012.)

However, we still think this is never going to happen to us. But be aware that: 44% of victims are under age 18 and 80% are under age 30, and Approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim, 38% are a friend or acquaintance. (U.S. Department of Justice. 2005 National Crime Victimization Study. 2005.) And more, 50% of all rape/sexual assault incidents were reported by victims to have occurred within 1 mile of their home or at their home. Which, 4 in 10 attacks take place at the victim’s home, 2  in 10 take place at the home of a friend, neighbor, or relative and 1 in 12 take place in a parking garage. (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Statistics. 1997 Sex Offenses and Offenders Study. 1997.)

Thus, inevitably Jiu Jitsu plays an important role in this fight against sexual assaults. Learning Self-defense could stop a woman from being attacked or even could save her life in an extreme situation. The main focus here is not engaging in a fight or in deadly hurting the attacker but giving women the right tolls to escape and survive in a situation like this.

In this video, filmed at Crosley Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy, a trained female student showcase rape prevention techniques to demonstrate how a woman can defend herself against multiple attacks, simulating the most common situations of violence that she might encounter in real life.

Don’t be a victim!