Kathmandu, Aug. 18 -- Anugya Ojha was 11 years old when she got to know about self-defence courses at her school. At that time, she took a three-day intensive safety training course initiated by Fightback, a self-defence training enterprise, just because it was part of her school's extracurricular activities. Fourteen-year-old Ojha today realises how that 'empowerment self-defence' course she took three years ago has shaped her understanding about sexual violence.

"There have been times when I have faced verbal abuses, uncomfortable stares, and random guys passing comments while walking alone on the streets which is intimidating at times," says Ojha, who enrolled herself in the training programme five months ago again and plans to join i...