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At the UFCW Canada Local 500 training centre in Montreal, International Women’s Day was commemorated by a punchy evening organized by the Quebec National Council that included an introduction to karate to help Sisters avoid becoming victims of assault.

The idea of the violence awareness and self-defense training session - held at the UFCW Canada Local 500 training centre - was to make Sisters aware of potential threats in the public environment, and to build their confidence in preventing an attack on their person or belongings.

The personal safety  session began with presentation by a member of the Montreal Police on how to stay safer in different environments such as dark streets, on public transportation, while stopped in a car, or at a bank machine.

The sit-down session was followed by an introductory Karate class where more than 20 women staff and members of Local 500 staff received training in some basic self-defense moves.

"Unfortunately, violence is part of the environment we live in, and this is even more true for women even though sometimes we do not realize it," said national representative Anouk Collet who attended the session. "But the session wasn't about fear. The idea was to empower us to not feel defenceless. Avoiding dangerous situations is one strategy. But sometimes it's unavoidable and it is better to be prepared."