The best way to minimise your chances of becoming a victim of violent crime (robbery, sexual assault, rape, even domestic violence) is to identify and call on resources that can help. And as seen in the case of most smartphone users (and especially the youth), their phones are their constant companions, almost surgically attached to them. So why not use these devices in distress situations and to call for help?
Women’s safety is an issue of concern in our country today.While we will not use this space to lament the shortcomings, we will try tooffer an alternative solution that could perhaps be of assistance in times ofdistress. Please note that the solutions we offer are not created or endorsedby the author or the publication and should be researched and used at theuser’s discretion.
Circle of 6
A simple but powerful concept, Circle of 6 (C6) lets youchoose six friends or family members you want to send a message to in times ofneed. In addition to sending a message, this app will also send your locationusing the built-in GPS in your smartphone. It’s discreet and it’s quick: justtwo taps and your SOS is sent. The app is free and available both for Androidas well as iOS phones.
Life 360 Family Locator
A concept similar to the Circle of 6, the Life 360 App letsyou add family members whose location you can keep track of. If that sounds alittle uncomfortable, remember the purpose is to keep track of your safety. Theapp also features a group chat window where you can leave messages so everyone knowsyou’re fine!
The execution of the app is quite interesting. It shows amap upon which your family members are shown. The app also alerts you when afamily member reaches a specific location so you know they’re ok! The app isavailable for Android and iOS devices and is free.
Fightback
An app developed by Tech Mahindra, Fightback lets you trackthe user’s location using the built-in GPS in their phone. Users just need topress the big [fb] button in the center of the app to send a distress signal.Any signal they send will be sent to select contacts that are pre-defined ontheir
SafeBridge
Another indigenously created app, SafeBridge is a “personalsafety application”. Unlike some of the other apps, this sends an SMS topredefined numbers thereby making it more widely usable. The need for a dataconnection is not necessary although if the phone has a data connection, theuser’s location can be tracked.
We hope that you find one of the above useful, but never ina position where you have to use it!
