Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R,C,I-Riverhead) is celebrating this past weekend’s free Women’s and Young Girls’ Self-Defense Class, provided in partnership with the East Coast Black Belt Academy. Last year, Suffolk County found that of 2,537 intimate partner assault cases reported, 2,082 were reported by women.¹ With growing public safety concerns, Giglio believes the more opportunities women have to learn how to protect themselves, the better.

“It’s an unfortunate reality of the world for our daughters, where they still have to watch where they go and who they see,” said Giglio. “There are so many factors women can’t control about everyday life, but one thing we can control is better preparing ourselves to deal with unsafe situations. I’m grateful for the East Coast Black Belt Academy for partnering with me on this initiative to teach local women to protect themselves in a space where they feel comfortable. I will be hosting more in the future, so stay tuned for more information.”

And with many Suffolk women traveling to New York City for work and pleasure, Giglio says the training will help them immensely.

“New York City continues to have a violence-against-women problem, just like the rest of the world. For a woman to have these skills is invaluable, and I hope more will consider getting some form of training in the future for their own protection,” Giglio concluded.

1 – New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, https://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/domesticviolence2021/index.htm