5 Safety Apps Every Woman Should Have

The issue of women’s safety in the Indian societal milieu has been a topic of conversation, policy and debates for years, especially after the tragic rape & murder of a young woman in New Delhi (Nirbhaya rape case). The event saw a rapid explosion in the use of technology to ensure women safety. This year several stories are replicating by widely discussed issues of intimate partner violence and workplace harassment highlighted by the #MeToo movement. The technology played a pivotal role in these movements also. Tragically, women safety still remains a major concern.

India tops the list of most dangerous countries in the world for women. Violence against women in India has risen in recent years, with a new attack registered every two minutes, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The number of rapes has been rising, with 38,947 cases reported in 2016, up from 34,210 the year before. In a Thomson Reuters Foundation report, India was ranked as having the highest incidences of sexual violence, ahead of Syria & Afghanistan! Moreover, a global survey of 2014 found that 79 percent of women in India have experienced sexual harassment or felt harassed or uncomfortable.

To address this issue in a modern way, we can take inspiration from the #MeToo movement which started on a social media platform, Twitter, and use technology to chock-full to ensure women safety. Here we present to you the top five women safety apps that evade need of charming prince for a woman to rescue her from the male perpetrators by connecting her with the police or her loved ones with just a click of a button.

My Safetipin

My Safetipin is one of the good options when it comes to safety apps for women. Backed by GPS tracking, the app sends the user’s location and alert messages to the contacts in emergency situations. It also helps women in taking safer decisions, especially when travelling in the night, by informing the safest route to reach her destination on the basis of area’s safety score. The app calculates the safety score on visibility, diversity, crowd, public transport, walk path, security, & more, and alerts the user when she enters any unsafe location. It also enables users to pin unsafe areas and help others.

Tell Tail

Developed by DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd), Tell Tail is a blessing for women while travelling. With this app, she can share location with her contacts by either using the GPS installed in any vehicle or using her phone’s GPS. The app also offers the SOS message feature where the user can send the alert message by clicking on the panic button or clicking the power button three times or shaking the phone three times.

Hawk-Eye

Offered by Hyderabad Police IT cell, the highlight of the app is its feature called, ‘Women Travel Made Safe’ that ensures the safety of women who travel alone, especially during odd hours. All they have to do is click the photograph or video of the vehicle before boarding, note down vehicle number, & place of boarding, and send it online to police. In case of emergency, the women travelers can send the alert message by using the SOS Button feature which sends a pre-recorded message to five chosen contacts and to the Inspector, ACP, DCP, & Mobile Patrolling vans of the concerned area.

Smart 24x7

With this app, the user can get an instant help by just following a three-step easy process - pressing the PANIC Button, selecting the types of services required and submitting the request. The PANIC Button sends a panic alert to selected receivers during the emergency situation and if GPRS is not working, the alert message is generated by SMS. This app also has ‘Fake Call’ feature for handling any difficult situation smartly and also keeps a record of audio and photographs of the panic situation and transfers it to the police. Moreover, its 24x7 call centre assists the user during the emergency situation.

Chilla

Well, in the event of the assault, its a daunting task for women to open any app in the nick of time. She can only manage to scream, which is spontaneous. Chilla gets activated by a vociferous shout, and automatically sends an SMS, email (with audio recording) & calls to the concerned authority! To distinguish between a screech & normal sound, Chilla works on frequency detection rather than the loudness of the scream and emphasizes on victim’s cry frequency. The application can be triggered also by pressing the power button five times.

Well, these apps will indeed act as a guardian angel for the women, but there are other apps loaded with benefits too. For instance, in an Ola or Uber cab, women travelers can avail the choice of ‘sharing ride details’ with their family or friends such that if any untoward incident were to happen, the vehicle is traceable. There are SOS/panic buttons as well. The ministry of women and child development has also launched an electronic complaints box to facilitate women to raise their voice against sexual harassment at workplace.

Concluding with the sayings of Swami Vivekananda, ‘There is no chance of the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on one wing’; although these apps will facilitate the women, men need to view women as a meaningful pursuit rather than a disposable pleasure. 

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