Wen-do, developed by Ned and Anne Paige a married couple of Toronto, Ontario is a form of self defense for women. Dr. Paige, an Optometrist, dedicated himself to creating a program to teach women to protect themselves after hearing of the murder of Kitty Genovese

Kitty Genovese

Catherine Susan "Kitty" Genovese , was a New York City woman who was stabbed to death near her home in the Kew Gardens section of Queens, New York on March 13, 1964....

 in New York on March 13, 1964.

Ned and Anne were practitioners of jujutsu

Jujutsu

Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....

, Karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

 and Judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

. However, through the years as many more women took up Wen-Do, various techniques were shared and added to the system.

Though the base and concepts of Wen-Do come from martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

, Wen-Do is not considered one by its adherents.

Wen-Do classes focus on scenarios that often confront women, such as rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

 and domestic attacks. Classes do not involve any physical contact unless a student is ready and wants to. The system also encompasses feminist and empowering discussion about issues that face women and violence in contemporary society.

See also

• Model Mugging
  Model Mugging
  Model Mugging is a form of self-defense training that uses padded trainers or Model Muggers to simulate assaults. It was founded by Matt Thomas, co-author of the book Defend Yourself!: Every Woman's Guide to Safeguarding Her Life. Its inspiration was the 1971 rape and beating of a karate black belt...
  
  , another feminist self-defense program, now known as Impact, uses padded attacker.