In the United States a women is domestically abused every five minutes, by their Love one’s, Husband, boyfriend, father’s, mother’s, grandparents and a friend! This story is about a Lady Sensei Mildred I. Auty who was domestically abused all of her life, until she met Master Larry S. L. Martin. 

This lady’s life was upside down. She felt that everyone was out to hurt her, she
lost all confidence in her self, and she let her self go physically, mentally. She had no one to turn too! Then she was told about Master Martin. When she first walked in to his Pawtucket based dojo, she was so impressed with the women that he had in the class, she ask so many questions about self-defense and if the martial arts
would help her with the problem that she had. 

Master Martin had her take few free classes, which she enjoyed and kept coming back for more! One day, Master Martin asks her why she was taking the martial arts and she told him about her abusive boyfriend. So, I told her that I couldn’t teach her to fight back. But, I could teach her how to defend herself to get away from him! But, it never came to that. He found out she was taken karate. And said
to her that she was crazy, for taking the martial arts. He never touched her again!

She had to make some changes in her life and that was to leave him for good! her
life started to change dramatically. Losing weight, she started to feel better about her self as a person and a woman, six months has passed by now! She was getting stronger physically & mentally. 
And then it happened... three unknown men attacked her on her way home. She
ended up sending one of them to the hospital with a severe groin wound.

Her hands covered in blood, when she realized what she had done, she was amazed with herself. She asked if she could continue her training in the martial arts, while working to keep her small apt? She was asked if she would like to run the dojo office for Master Martin for the exchange of classes, she work very hard. There were times she would stay at the dojo all night long to train on her sparring and Kata skills with her step-son who was a student with Master Martin. Everything
has paid off for this lady of Shojukempo Karate-do. She entered into a karate tournament and took 5th place in Women’s Self-Defense, her sister in law took
4th place. 

More and more women are aware of domestic violence world-wide. Even as we
speak, women and children are being domestically abused every ten minutes by
their loved ones!

In the summer of May 1996 the Martial Arts Women Against Domestic Violence was formed. Grandmaster Martin is co-founder, Sensei Auty is president, co-founder. With members in N. Carolina, Conn. and Rhode Island and growing.

In Part 2...we'll talk about ways of detecting domestic abuser's.