It has been two years since the horrific, inhuman assault on the young lady Nirbhaya in New Delhi. It is an incident that has traumatized our collective psyche and changed us as a people. In this intervening two-year period, there have been more rapes, leaders talking nonsense about why women in India get raped, tons of open letters to the leaders and the media to do something concrete towards stopping such atrocities.
While the bureaucracy takes its time to build a humane police force that makes us feel safe instead of apprehensive when we see them, to have a justice system that delivers swift and fair punishments to the accused, to simply get off their butts and act (do anything) – it is best that we take care of ourselves.
Despite all of this awareness and constant reminders of rapes and assaults, it is natural human tendency to think, “It is never going to happen to me.” It would be our naivety to think so. We don’t want another Nirbhaya, ever again. One lady’s irreparable mutilation and death should be enough to wake us up, prepared to act in any eventuality.
Here are some must-have products for your safety:
1. Products you must carry in your purse
Stun Gun: These are small products that come shaped as torches, lipsticks, and mobile phones. They deliver a powerful electric charge enough to incapacitate the attacker, but not cause any permanent damage. They are compact and can fit into any small handbag / purse. They come with built-in charger so you don’t have to deal with a charging cable. Lastly, they come with a disabler pin, so that if the device is snatched from you, it cannot be used against you.
Lipstick shaped stun gun for INR 2100/-
Lipstick stun gun
Torchlight shaped stun gun for INR 851/-
Torchlight shaped stun gun
Mobile phone sized stun gun for INR 980/-
cell phone sized stun gun
Sprays: These are small plastic containers that work like a typical deodorant spray. They contain potent chemicals such as Oleoresin Capsiasin or chilli extracts. They come with a range of 7 to 12 feet and can incapacitate an attacker for 30-45 minutes. Remember to check-in the spray and not take on your carry-on baggage on an aircraft.
12-foot range spray for INR 390/-
12-foot range pepper spray
Compact 7-foot range spray for INR 199/-
Compact 7-foot range pepper spray
2. Mobile phone apps you must install today
Most safety apps come with a few common features. They take emergency contacts and trigger an SMS or a phone call to the contacts along with GPS-based last known location. Here are some good apps with variations that might be suitable for different needs.
Sentinel: Its USP is that it can work even when the cell phone data or network signal is lost. It can also know when a forced shut off of the phone is done. It has got better reviews on Android than on iOS, and was the winner of NASSCOM’s App Fame contest of 2013.
Sentinel app page showing the ‘online’ status
VithU: It is very easy to use in case of a sticky situation – click the power button of your smartphone 2 times consecutively so that it can start sending out alert messages every 2 minutes along with location.
Vith U app page showing the panic button
Women’s Security: This app works by saving your 45-second voice message in a hidden location on your phone and also transmitting. Even if you are in a no-signal zone, it will transmit the recording after the signal is restored, all with no manual intervention.
Women’s security app
iFollow: This app is the easiest to use. The app is triggered to activate when the mobile phone is shaken 3 times within 5 seconds. It will first trigger a call to your emergency contact. If there is no response, then it triggers an SMS to all 3 of your contacts along with location.
iFollow app home page
So what are you waiting for? Make the purchase and download the apps. Protect yourself!
If you know any other women’s safety products and apps that can help women, please mention them in the comments section to help others.
Featured image source: Shutterstock
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