WOMEN’S 101:	Basic self-defense techniques with a focus on common attacks. Course Length: 2 hours
WOMEN’S 102:	Self-defense techniques at an intermediate level with focus on common attacks and exit strategies. Course Length: 2 hours Prerequisite: Women’s 101
WOMEN’S 103:	Self-defense techniques on an advanced level. Focus on common attacks, exit strategies and advanced maneuvers. Course Length: 3 hours  Prerequisite: Women’s 101 & 102
WOMEN’S ELITE:	Advanced self-defense techniques with focus on attacks from wall and ground positions. Course Length: 3 hours Prerequisite: Women’s 101, 102 & 103
WOMEN’S.WEAPONS:	Self-defense techniques based on knife attacks. Course Length: 2.5 hours Prerequisite: Woman’s 101 & 102
WOMEN’S DEFENSE:	Program focus on keychain, key and kubatan self-defense. Teaching women to use specific techniques to defend against an attacker. Course Length: 2 hours. Each participant will receive a kubatan keychain.

Violence Against Women

Health Canada

Health Canada's role is to foster good health by promoting health and protecting Canadians from harmful products, practices and disease. Violence against women, a prime area of concern as a health issue, is rooted in the social, economic and political inequality of women. Health Canada's activities through the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence focus on synthesizing and disseminating best practices to prevent and treat family violence, including violence against women.

How is Violence Against Women Defined?

Acts that result, or are likely to result, in physical, sexual and psychological harm or suffering to a woman, including threats of such an act, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty whether occurring in public or private life.

The Impact of Violence on Women's Health

Violence is a major factor in women's health and well-being. The measurable health-related costs of violence against women in Canada exceed $1.5 billion a year. These costs include short-term medical and dental treatment for injuries, long-term physical and psychological care, lost time at work, and use of transition homes and crisis centres.

Current Situation

Statistics Canada's 2008 report Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, which analyzed data provided by 154 reporting police agencies, shows that:
•    Women continue to outnumber men nine to one as victims of assault by a spouse or partner.
•    In 2005 half of all family homicides involved spouses;
•    Between 1977 and 2000, three times as many women were killed by their spouses as were men killed by their spouses.
•    Girls are at greatest risk of sexual assault by a family member while between 12 and 15 years of age.
•    In 2007 nine of ten crimes committed against older adults by family members were physical assaults.

Violence against women in Canada... by the numbers

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

December 6 marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada.

Homicides

198 - the number of female victims of homicide in Canada in 2007. On average, 182 females were killed every year in Canada between 2000 and 2008.

62 - the number of female victims of spousal homicide in 2004. Of these, 27 women were killed by their legally married husband, 20 by a common-law partner and 15 by a separated or divorced husband. Among solved homicides involving victims aged 15 and older in 2004, one-half of all women were killed by someone with whom they had an intimate relationship at some point, either through marriage or dating. The comparative figure for men is 8%.

13 - the number of women killed by a current or former boyfriend in 2004.

7% - the estimated percentage of women in a current or previous spousal relationship who experienced spousal violence during the five years up to and including 2008. Rates of spousal abuse were highest among certain segments of the population: those aged 15 to 24; those in relationships of three years or less; those who had separated; and those in common-law unions.

23% - the percentage of female victims who reported that the most serious form of violence experienced was being beaten, choked, or threatened by having a gun or a knife used against them.

44% - the percentage of female victims of spousal abuse who indicated that they suffered injury because of violence, with 13% seeking medical attention.

38% - the percentage of women who reported the abuse to the police who sought a restraining order.

24% - the percentage of Aboriginal women who said they had suffered violence from a current or previous partner in the five-year period up to 2004. The overall rate of Aboriginal spousal violence (both men and women) was 21% during this period, compared with 6% for the non-Aboriginal population.

11% - percentage of women aged 15 and older who stated that they were stalked in a way that caused them to fear for their safety or the safety of someone close to them. This was the equivalent of 1.4 million women. Among the victims of stalking, 9% of women reported that they had been stalked by either a current or previous spouse, or common-law partner.

58,486 - the number of women who sought refuge in one of 473 shelters across Canada between April 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004. Overall, there were 543 known shelters in Canada providing residential services to abused women and their children. Of these, 473 participated in the Statistics Canada survey.

76% - the percentage of women who sought refuge in a shelter on April 14, 2004 who were escaping abuse. The vast majority of women staying in shelters to escape abuse were fleeing psychological or emotional abuse. Almost 7 out of 10 reported physical abuse, 50% threats, 46% financial abuse, 31% harassment and 27% sexual abuse. About one in three abused women in shelters on April 14, 2004 had reported their most recent abusive incident to police. Of the women who had stayed in shelters previously, 40% had been there once in the previous year, 38% had been there two to four times and about 1 in 10 had been to a facility five times or more during the previous year.