Our mission arose from one of the most urgent challenges global societies face today, gender-based violence.
Liz Mahler, perfectly encapsulates our mission:
Step into your power with Guardian Girls Empowerment & Self-Defence Programs!
Guardian Girls Karate Australia teaches simple, effective ways women and girls can feel safer and more confident.
Guardian Girls Karate is for everyone; parents, children, women, athletes, and students, all with the
outcome of building confidence, awareness, and practical safety skills.
Watch Guardian Girls Karate in Action
The Guardian Girls Karate Program Mission
“We help build awareness, and practical safety skills that can help women and girls defend themselves or escape from a life-threatening situation.”
Through our programs, we seek to help women become empowered, learn proactive pathways to safety, and build mental resilience to not freeze in dangerous situations, but to react.
Sign up as...
An Individual
Anyone can sign up for a Guardian Girls Karate Australia program. Why not get a group of friends and do it together
An Institution
Guardian Girls Karate strengthens bonds, creates connections and builds a long-lasting legacy. Explore how your institution can benefit from the program now
A Corporation
Guardian Girls Karate can help you build a more empowered, resilient workplace through programs tailored to your needs
A Partner
Join the Guardian Girls Karate movement to address the prevention of violence against women in Australia
OUR GOALS
Reduce violence against women and girls by equipping them with practical self-defence skills through the discipline of sport Karate.
Advance gender equality, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Promote sport Karate as a powerful tool for social change, expanding its reach and impact through the GGK program in partnership with national federations.
Foster women’s participation in sports by expanding access to Karate-based empowerment programs and increasing the number of certified female GGK instructors worldwide.
“We truly believe that Guardian Girls Karate can make a real difference in the lives of thousands of women.”
– World Karate President Antonio Espinós
Guardian Girls Karate Australia, launched in July 2025, is part of Guardian Girls International, founded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Koyamada International Foundation (KIF), and the World Karate Federation.
Guardian Girls International partners with UN agencies, government bodies, non-governmental organisations, international sports organisations, and community leaders, ultimately reaching more than 17 countries, driving positive impacts on thousands of women and communities worldwide.
Guardian Girls Karate Australia has rolled out programs through universities, schools, the workplace or in the broader community.
Karate: Vehicle To Prevent & Respond To Gender-Based Violence
Karate fosters essential qualities for females to possess, particularly inner strength, self-awareness, respect and resilience.
By sharpening the mind, strengthening the body, and elevating the spirit, Karate provides women with the practical skills and mental confidence to overcome fear and navigate life with confidence.
Guardian Girls Karate Australia Programs
Guardian Girls Karate Australia offers a wide range of fun, safe, and practical programs which are open and welcome to all…absolutely no experience needed!
Guardian Girls Karate Australia Programs are perfect for:
- Schools
- Universities
- Woman’s Groups
- Workplace Wellness and Safety Programs
- Community Groups
- Certification training
Our Guardian Girls Programs are designed to be adapted for each group: whether it be university, school, the workplace, community, or local Council.
The Guardian Girls 90 Minutes Empowerment and Self-Defence Taster Session
Designed to provide simple, practical skills, in our 90 minute program, you will:
- Learn when to be strong, and when to be strategic
- Boost your voice power
- Learn how to combine breath, body and mind to protect yourself
- Leave feeling safer, stronger and more confident
Importantly, you will take away two simple escapes that anyone can use.
Guardian Girls 8-Week Empowerment & Self Defence Course
This 8-week self-defence course empowers women to reclaim their physical and emotional agency.
By drawing on Karate principles, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and empowerment theory, participants will learn how to remain emotionally regulated in the face of fear, pressure, or aggression.
Participants will learn:
- How the body responds to threat (freeze, flight, fight, fawn)
- How trauma and conditioning shape behaviour
- Applying martial arts principles to external situations and internal states
Ultimately, after 8 weeks, our program helps women and girls to feel more safe and confident in every situation.
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