SheFighter: Empowering Women Through Self-Defense

“I didn’t find one real solution for violence against women,” says Lina Khalifeh. And so she decided to take matters into her own hands. In 2010, starting in her parent’s basement, the young Lina Khalifeh founded SheFighter in Jordan. Its aim is “to empower women both mentally and physiologically through self-defense techniques”. According to their website, many efforts and initiatives that focus on dealing with violence against women choose to concentrate on the social and psychological aspects, but what sets SheFighter apart is that it also takes protection into account. They talk about harassment and share stories but they also address prevention and teach self-defense.

Upon winning first place in the education category of the Challenge Cup in Amman, Khalifeh went on to compete in Washington, where her efforts were recognized and highlighted in President Obama’s speech. Lina is a certified trainer and has more than 17 years’ experience in various martial arts, from boxing to Tae Kwon Do, in which she holds a black belt.

When Lina was starting out, many men and women in society did not support the idea of empowering women through self-defense, but the numbers would soon prove them wrong. So far, Lina has taught around 10,000 women how to defend themselves. SheFighter has about 800 trainers and sometimes holds workshops where as many as 200 women are trained at a time. The studio has also expanded to include a wider variety of courses, such as SheCombo and SheYoga.

For more information: Visit SheFighter’s official website, and follow them on Facebook.

Interested in learning more about self-defense? These great books will get you on the right path: