Kufr al-Asad, January 2018. Enas, a 19 years old student, is practing how to cover her face in case someone is trying to attack her.
She Fighters (2017-2018)
The Arabs springs, led millions of people to take to the streets. Soon enough, these revolutions, faced a harsh winter. But there are hundreds of silent revolutions that are still alive and ongoing.
One of them is taking place in Kufr al-Asad, a 15-thousands inhabitants city, in rural Northern Jordan. Where a group of ten women decided to start a self-defence training.
According to a recent survey, 45% of Jordanian women suffered some kind of abuse or violence in their childhood. 55% of them, witness some form of gender-based violence as a child. 93% of them think it is women’s duty to obey to their men.
Yet, a bunch of women refuses to fall into these forced gender roles: They want to study, they refuse to have more than two or three children, they want to choose their husband. And they want to do sport. For them it is a chance to finally practice a sport, but, more important, a way to learn how to stand up for themselves. Their aim is to go further and become trainers, to teach other women and girls what they learned.
Kufr al-Asad, January 2018. The self-defence training is held on the second floor of a local school.
Kufr al-Asad, January 2018. At the self-defence training women are practicing some moves, learning how to push back an attacker.
Kufr al-Asad, January 2018. A pair of shoes Enas and her sister share when they attend special occasion.
Dayr as-Sinah, December 2017. Saja, a self-defence trainer from Irbid, is showing women some basic techniques, during the training first lesson.
Kufr al-Asad, January 2018. Enas lives in her husband's family house. She loves her three kids but says that sometimes she feels tired.
Kufr al-Asad, January 2018. Majd, 24, is taking a walk in the outskirt of Kufr al-Asad. She recently got married and moved to a nearby town with her husband.
Kufr al-Asad, June 2018. Enas is showing some pictures of her wedding. Her family chose her husband for her and she had to quit university as she got married.
Kufr al-Asad, January 2018. Enas, while her children play, is showing her niece some moves she learned at the training. Her dream is to become a self-defence trainer.
Kufr al-Asad, June 2018. Enas walks back to her sister's husband car together with her daughter and niece, after spending a Friday afternoon in the outskirt of Kufr al Asad.