Women Safety? Huh, most ALARMING topic nowadays, don't you think? Being a woman, I can feel the pain of other women & understand how significant Women Safety is!
Lots of applications have come into the picture to ensure women's safety after the rise in rape cases by 60%. But I want to throw this question to all the men - Do you think the women's safety apps are enough to ensure safety? Don't you think that the women's safety concerns are increasing days after day due to your 'Ill Mindset'? Don't you think what we are strongly lacking is the right education to stop violence against women? Well, it will always be a matter of discussion till the time 'Change in mentalities' and 'Strong Justice and punishment Laws' comes into the picture.
Take the example of 'Nirbhaya's Case' - It took 7 years to provide justice! The change in duration our Indian system takes to provide justice to the victims is a need of the hour!
Why Women Suffers?
- Postponed punishments to the rapists and honor killers led to the suffering of women.
- India is one of those countries where 80% of the cases take around 2-10 years for providing justice to the victims of acid attacks, rape, and domestic violence.
- Illiterate mindset has led to major safety issues for women.
- Loopholes in infrastructure make women using the open areas for toilets making it more vulnerable for them to face violence, eve-teasing, rape.
- Labeling of Women in the entertainment industry has given rise to women being worried about their safeties. Words like Slut, Item, Maal, Timepass, etc are generally used in movies, Netflix, etc to project women creating Ill mentality in the minds of young people.
- Less meditation and spiritual practices have made people go crazy where they are themselves unaware to differentiate between what's right and what's wrong for them. Getting themselves involved in drugs, alcohol, smoking results in putting across their frustration onto women by giving birth to toxic realities.
Facts about Women Safety -
- Almost 38% of women's murder is done by their romantic partners globally.
- Overall, 200+ Million girls have been slapped by genital mutilation or cutting.
- Across the world, a total of about 15 million girls is forced to get married before touching 18 years of age. It comes to around 28 girls every minute.
- As per the stats, 1 out of every 3rd woman is the victim of sexual, mental, and physical abuse on average.
- Globally, 80 to 100 million girls have been lost from the total population. They are the ones who suffered from malnutrition, femicide, and gender-based infanticide.
- Almost 30% of females had forcefully experienced their first sexual intercourse.
- On average taken globally, almost 137 women are murdered daily by either their romantic partners or family person.
- Ladies falling under the age group of 15 to 44, are bound to be a victim of domestic violence, and rape in comparison to other disasters like natural accidents, cancer, and other diseases.
Promising Apps for Women Security and Safety
Disha SOS - Staying in touch 24*7 with loved ones isn't possible practically! Well, this app helps us to fill this gap.
With its immediate helping feature from the fire station, ambulance, and the policemen, make this app the best with a good rating.
Features:
- In-built nearby Safety places recognition feature in case of an emergency
- In-built hospital and police station information
- Easy to connect with doctors
- Emergency Phone Numbers
- Enables Location Tracking
- 4.3 out of 5 Rating
- Suitable with Android/Ios
Namola - Worrying about your loved ones is natural! Namola - being South Africa's biggest women's safety app ensures the 24*7 connection with your dear ones and complete protection in an emergency case.
Features:
- Allows location sharing
- Allows you to avail medical services via Namola Plus
- Let your loved ones know once you start and arrive at the destination
- Free of cost
- 4.7 out of 5 Rating
- Suitable with Android/Ios
Sheroes - Being one of the most trusted apps, it allows you to connect with other women in regards to seeking health advice. Moreover, it also helps you to take necessary precautions at the time of the social emergency for example a sudden road accident, etc.
Features:
- Allows image and videos sharing
- Tracking Menstruation
- Easy to connect with doctors
- Free of cost
- 4.4 out of 5 Rating
- Suitable with Android/Ios
Kavalan SOS - An initiative taken by Tamil Nadu and connecting people with police in cases like kidnapping, domestic violence, etc. It uses information fed for violent activities purposes. Ensures your safety in natural disasters like floods.
Features:
- SOS button allows recording video automatically from the back camera
- Sends your location to loved ones if there is an emergency
- Available in offline mode
- Send alerts via SMS/Text Message
- 4.5 out of 5 Rating
- Suitable with Android/Ios
Grannus - Whether it's your child's safety or yours being a woman, this app takes care of all with ease of use! Women can also take advice from the NGOs associated with this app on anxiety issues. Getting the blood with your required blood group from the blood donors was never easy before the coming of this app.
Features:
- Allows you search for your child - in case he/she goes missing
- Connect blood donors with blood seekers
- Provides toll-free number for emergency use
- Allows to save all medical histories
- Give reminders for taking medicines
- 4.7 out of 5 Rating
- Suitable with Android
Laws dealing with women's Safety
- The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act - 2013
- Indian Divorce Act - 1969
- The Indian Penal Code - 1860
- Equal Remuneration Act - 1976
- The Indecent Representation of Women Act - 1986
- National Commission for Women Act - 1990
- Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act - 2005
- The Immoral Traffic Act - 1956
- The Dowry Prohibition Act - 1961
- The Commission of Sati Act -1987
- The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act - 2006
- Maternity Benefit Act - 1861
- Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act - 1971
What can be done to increase women's Safety?
Introduce more Women Staff Drivers to ensure women's safety at night. This way the issue of restrictions on women roaming at night will be sorted to the great extent.
Volunteers ensuring safety should be increased in numbers at different areas all over the world starting from every state, city, Panchayat, village, and district. These male and female volunteers must be available 24*7 to ensure that women's lives aren't at risk anymore.
Separate Restrooms for Women in public areas must be made as soon as possible in all the areas especially small towns, villages, and hospitals to avoid them doing toilets openly in public risking their life.
Ensuring Streetlights at a distance of less than half kilometers to make sure that no crime is taking place in the dark.
Inculcating Meditation/self-defense training in schools as a mandatory subject/ free counseling sessions on women's safety to ensure that the mind is still and at peace reducing risks by 90%.
At least One destination in every area to provide legal/medical/police aid for women to make sure the availability of help in emergency cases without any delay.
Revision of punishment for Rapists and troublemakers is need of the hour. Putting inside bars and hanging on the rope isn't enough to stop crimes. Strong punishments must come into the picture to scare people enough before committing rape.
Despite numerous laws and strict government rules coming into the limelight, a woman will always need somebody to contact in cases of an emergency. Such apps discussed above are there to make sure your loved ones can keep a tab on your safety status via location tracking and other modes.
References -
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/16-shocking-facts-about-violence-against-women-and-girls
https://blog.ipleaders.in/protection-crimes-women-indian-laws-comprehensive-analysis/amp/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protection_of_Women_from_Domestic_Violence_Act,_2005
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/visualizing-womens-safety-and-security-in-india/