Festival Queen wants self-defence training for women

Aundrene Cameron, the recently crowned Jamaica Festival Queen, has a strong vision for her time in office. She aims to advocate for the importance of self-defence training among women.

A 21-year-old law student from St Catherine, Cameron firmly believes that equipping women with self-defence skills can empower them to effectively defend themselves against potential attackers and outwit any threats they may encounter.

Through her platform, she hopes to raise awareness about this crucial aspect of women's safety and encourage more women to take charge of their personal security.

"A lot of women like myself have never had self-defence training, they don't know the first thing to do to defend themselves in situations where it's necessary," Cameron told THE STAR.

"The aim is to collaborate with organisations that are able to provide self-defence lessons, whether those institutions that teach karate or other forms of martial arts, or even the Jamaica Defence Force and the Jamaica Constabulary Force," newly crowned Festival Queen added.

Self-defence training is considered to be valuable to people of all ages and genders, as it promotes personal safety, confidence, and a sense of empowerment. Advocates have argued that by acquiring self-defence skills, persons can significantly enhance their ability to protect themselves and others in challenging circumstances.

Parliamentarian Lisa Hanna has openly expressed the importance of self-defence. She argues that "a woman must be able to defend herself if the need arises".

Cameron has signalled her intent to move full speed ahead with her plans to empower women and girls through self-defence training.

"After the Emancipendence celebration I will be working towards the launch of the national project, 'Women on the Defence', creating a culture of women who are able to fight back," she told THE STAR.

"It is geared towards ensuring that young girls between the ages 4-16 are taught the basics of defence skills, including lessons on how they can physically defend themselves and how they can analyse and be aware of the situations they are in to evaluate danger," Cameron added.