PH Embassy in Yangon Conducts Anti-Sexual Harassment Seminar with Basic Self-Defense for Filipinos in Andaman

Speakers from Myanmar Women’s Self Defense Center (MWSDC) discuss sexual harassment with Filipino women in Andaman. (Yangon PE photo)

YANGON 20 January 2020 –– The Philippine Embassy conducted a seminar-workshop on Anti-Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Violence Awareness on 27 November 2019 at the Grand Andaman Hotel for Filipino women in Andaman island.

The Embassy invited instructors from the Myanmar Women’s Self Defense Center (MWSDC) to talk about the different types of sexual harassment that can be encountered by women at home, work, or in public places.

The participants were encouraged to share personal experiences on sexual harassment and lessons learned from those encounters. MWSDC Founder Evelyn Yu Yu Swe discussed what should be done when placed in those situations. MWSDC instructors then taught basic self-defense techniques that the Filipino women can use in order to escape and protect themselves against possible assailants. A total of 29 Filipino women participated in the seminar-workshop. END

Left photo: Myanmar Women’s Self Defense Center (MWSDC) Instructor Evelyn Yu Yu Swe asks a participant what she would do in a situation where she was sexually harassed. Right photo: MWSDC Instructor Evelyn teaches a participant how to escape when an assailant puts both arms around you. (Yangon PE photo)

Participants perform warm-up exercises before the basic self-defense training. (Yangon PE photo)

Filipino women participants in Andaman pose for a photo together with Third Secretary and Vice Consul Stephanie Alexis A. Cruz (top row - fourth from right), Embassy Administrative Officer Amalia Abadilla (top row – rightmost), and MWSDC Instructors. (Yangon PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.yangonpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinMyanmar.