Farah Abu Al Qomsan, 15, is practicing her punches and jabs with the other female boxers who train with teacher Osama Ayoub in Gaza's sole female boxing gym, called “sox”.
Since starting to play sports at age nine, Farah has discovered a way to cope with the daily pressures of life in Gaza, where 2.3 million Palestinians live under blockade of the neighbor states.
"We once practiced in a tiny garage. At the first boxing gym in the region exclusively for women, the youngster added, "Now we train under the full regulations and let out the bad energy.
Years ago, Mr. Ayoub started „sox“ with two girls. As more people joined, they left the garage and started working out on the sand or in rented facilities before relocating to the new Palestine Boxing Centre structure.
"The females are prepared. For five years, I gave them rigorous training, Mr. Ayoub stated. We are providing a good example.
With a full-sized ring, training tools, and wall-mounted portraits of famous boxers like Mike Tyson, the facility now hosts about 40 girls practicing, breaking expectations in what has historically been a sport for men.
"Some individuals have questioned why I box. What will you get from it, exactly? Go pick up a girly skill," Farah said. “I benefit a lot from boxing and today my ambition is to represent my Palestinian people and take part in world championships.”
Violence against women and girls exists everywhere in the world. By finding solutions to balance the sexes and enabling the female sex to have the same resources as the male sex, several Sustainable Development Goals are being developed at once.Gender equality is necessary for the health of the economy. Women and men are treated equally in societies that are safer and healthier. Human rights include gender equality. Ideas such as opening the first women's boxing club by global society in a country with low average gender equality reinforce the progress our society has already made.
More information: https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/01/23/first-womens-boxing-club-opens-doors-in-gaza/