In India, a woman is raped every 20 minutes. In 95% of cases, the victim knows her attacker and is often under the age of 20. It was against this alarming backdrop that the Red Brigade was founded in 2011 in the Madiyav slum in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. Founded by Usha Vishwakarma, this organization originally brought together about 15 women who had been victims of sexual assault. Together, they decided to react, organize, and take action, despite significant social, legal, and cultural obstacles.

Their action is based on four powerful pillars:

• victim support (psychological support, legal assistance),
• neighborhood patrols to prevent assaults,
• self-defense training,
• awareness-raising in public spaces (demonstrations, street theater).

2016 – Meeting KMWP: an intense week, an immediate connection

In 2016, Thomas Sussfeld, a Krav Maga practitioner, discovered a report on the Red Brigade. Moved by their struggle, he came up with a solidarity project in conjunction with the European Krav Maga Federation (FEKM). Thus was born Mission Krav Maga & Women Protection – FEKM.

He brought three volunteer instructors with him:

• Michael Obadia, a high-ranking instructor (5ᵉ darga black belt),
• Christophe F., a member of an elite police unit,
• and Francesca Serio, a specialist in teaching methods tailored to women.

For a week in Lucknow, they trained the women of the Red Brigade in essential self-defense techniques (escape moves, ground defenses, strikes), with a constant focus on adapting to their reality. They also visited schools, businesses, and neighborhoods, reaching hundreds of women and girls.

“For them, it’s a matter of survival,” says Michael Obadia.
“Their involvement impressed us,” adds Francesca Serio.

2017 and 2018 – Back in the field: consolidating, passing on knowledge, empowering

Given the success of this first mission, KMWP was officially founded in 2017 to continue the momentum. Two other missions quickly followed, again in Lucknow, to reinforce what had been learned and train participants to become self-sufficient.

The program for these interventions included:

• Reviewing and deepening the techniques taught
• Introducing new situations: ground work, strikes, etc.
• Instructional training to empower the Red Brigade to become instructors themselves
• Organization of workshops in middle schools, high schools, and neighborhoods
• Direct intervention with the local police

“In one week, women aged 7 to 25 learned essential self-defense techniques with astonishing speed,” says Christophe F.

A tangible impact, a growing movement

Since these missions, the Red Brigade has grown stronger: it now has nearly a hundred members and has trained several thousand women in self-defense.

Its work has inspired similar initiatives in other cities such as Benares and Agra. Local authorities recognize that their presence in neighborhoods helps reduce assaults, even though official figures are difficult to establish.

Beyond the techniques, this mission was a deeply human experience for the entire team.

“We were fortunate to be able to combine an essential cause with our passion for Krav Maga in a concrete and useful way,” concludes Michael Obadia.