Trainer Marie Driven uses her own experience to lead a self-defense course for survivors of domestic abuse.
Photo courtesy of Kpshotit/Instagram
One Bushwick native is using her experience as an abuse survivor to train other women in self-defense and connect survivors with needed resources.
Tough Brooklynite Marie Driven started teaching self-defense boxing courses shortly after being hurt by a former partner in her own home in 2020.
With the pandemic requiring people to stay isolated at home, Driven thought about all the potential domestic violence victims who would be forced to be home with their potential abusers — much like she was. Many were worried how the executive order to shelter in place issued on March 22, 2020 would affect survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, as families and couples were forced to stay in their homes for long periods of time, unable to leave or see other people.
According to a 2021 report from the New York City Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee the pandemic did not appear to have an “immediate, discernible” impact on domestic violence homicides, however calls to the the New York City Domestic Violence Hotline increased 17% compared to numbers from the previous years. The number of survivors using services by the New York City Family Justice Center increased by 35.8%
After being abused and not being able to get away safely, Driven began questioning her own strength and confidence. With the help of family, friends and her personal trainer, she determined she would use boxing to regain her strength and begin her healing process.
“I have made an impact on other people’s lives, and now I’m the female that doesn’t know what to say or what to do,” she told Brooklyn Paper. “In order for me to turn that around I had to get some mental, physical and emotional strength.”
A few months, using her experience, she soon began teaching a class to fellow survivors in Wingate Park…
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