Palestinian Girls Learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Self-Defense in Beirut Refugee Camp

In a makeshift gym at the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp in South Beirut, a group of Palestinian girls is completing a two-month course in Brazilian jiu jitsu, a form of Japanese martial art focused on leverage against stronger opponents. The training goes beyond physical technique, teaching participants to assert themselves in public spaces, maintain eye contact, and use their voices—skills many were raised to suppress.

Training and Empowerment

Coach Mirella Atallah, a Lebanese-Canadian former world champion, leads the class. Atallah trains women and marginalized communities globally, often in societies where gender-based violence awareness is low and discussing sexual abuse remains taboo. She emphasizes that the program is not merely self-defense. "For me it's important to call it women's empowerment in public spaces," Atallah said. The curriculum includes situational awareness, such as noticing surroundings instead of trying to go unnoticed, keeping heads up, and making direct eye contact.

Participants practice vocal assertiveness, a particular challenge for girls raised to be quiet. Atallah recalled one trainee who "tried to scream and to scream for help and she couldn't—her voice wouldn't go out."

Participant Perspectives

Aisha Saqqa, 18, a first-year business management student, described her transformation. "After two weeks I felt I was changing—not just in sports but my mental health and everything," she said. Saqqa, who wears a pale pink hijab and a loose green shirt, plans to start a perfume business after college. She is actively seeking self-improvement, joining every club available and working on public speaking skills.

Other participants include Malak, a Palestinian refugee teenager who lives in the camp and intends to become a beauty specialist after graduating this year. She and her training partner Hanan met in the class and now describe themselves as "like sisters."

Context

All participants are overcoming adversity rooted in displacement. They were born in one of Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps to families who fled or were forced from their homes following the creation of Israel in 1948 and have never been allowed to return. Similar self-defense and empowerment programs for displaced women have been reported in other conflict-affected regions, including camps in Jordan and the West Bank.