Be aware and stay safe this International Women’s Day and every day

On March 8th we celebrate International Women’s Day. A global day that celebrates the historical, cultural and political achievements of women. The day is also observed in support or taking action against gender inequality around the world.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recognises this day to end violence against women.

Did you know what 1 in 3 women around the world experiences sexual violence by:

• A husband
• A boyfriend
• An intimate partner
• A lover
• A parent
• A relative
• A colleague
• A boss
• A stranger

The prevalence of violence against women and girls means that around 1.6 million women and girls experience domestic abuse in a single year and 1 in 3 women said that online abuse worsened during the pandemic.

Whilst doing a little research as a business to celebrate International Women’s Day in 2022, we were made aware that one of our team, Carl Fitzpatrick founded CF System (Counter Force System) a self-defence system that teaches the soft skills of awareness and de-escalation to try and prevent a situation from becoming physical and how to prepare yourself should that happen. The system supports people in being prepared for conflict but avoiding it wherever possible.

Carl holds black belts in a number of martial arts, is an advanced instructor in boxercise and also holds diplomas in personal training, counselling and domestic violence and abuse.

As a survivor of domestic violence himself, Carl understands the importance of breaking the cycle of violence that so often continues through generations and this has driven him to be passionate about understanding the causes and triggers of such abuse.

Carl has a passion to empower people and help them to grow confidence by training survivors of domestic violence and abuse, no matter the age, gender or sexuality of the individual. Carl dreams of creating a self-defence community within shelters and charities and forming an additional network of safety and support.

We’re sure you’ll all agree based on the statistics, that this type of support for victims is much needed.

Carl, we applaud you and we are extremely proud to have you in our team.