In The Face Of Rising Crime Against Women In India, Consider Downloading These 3 Safety Apps

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data revealed a staggering 4% rise in crime against women over 4,45,256 cases reported in India. The data translated into 51 FIRs every hour being reported every day across the country. While a legal framework to protect women exists, law enforcement continues to be one of the biggest challenges. Till the time such gaps are met, safety apps play a key role in providing immediate help to women in unsafe situations.

These applications serve as personal safety networks for women across the country while they are on the go and even confined within their homes. 

While there are many safety applications available for women's safety in India, now and then, safety apps are introduced with new features and updates to offer women easy access to a rescue platform. Here are three easy-to-use safety applications that every woman should consider downloading on her phone. 

112 India

The Ministry Of Home Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) and Centre For Development Of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) launched the 112 app for all smartphones a few years back to offer safety to those in impending danger. On clicking the SOS alert on the application, the user can reach directly to the Control Room of the state. 

Features

• The application offers 24/7 effective emergency response services for all citizens. 
• Citizens can send in requests via voice calls, SOS, SMS, emails, web request, and panic buttons
• Automatic location identification of callers
• Services provided by Police, Fire, Medical, and Natural Disaster Management Teams
• Emergency service coordination from a control center centralised in all states and UTs
• Live tracking of emergency response vehicles

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I’m Safe 

In 2022, I'm Safe application was launched by I’m Safe organisation with a vision to create a globally safe community for women. The application is free of cost but for an enhanced safety experience, an external physical bluetooth device can be bought for ₹ 1000 which can be connected to any Android phone. In case of an emergency, the user can just long-click the Bluetooth device instead of logging into the application and clicking on the SOS. Mr Jason Duthie, Head Of Product, I’M Safe App while speaking of the SOS feature during a conclave recently shared that on clicking the SOS button, the user is connected to their friends and family. While the application right now is dependent on network capacity, the team is in talks with mobile services to make the application work in no internet areas. 

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Features

• SOS click alerts SOS contacts will get a siren on their app along with the live location of the user. The message also sends out the battery percentage and signal strength. On clicking the button, the application automatically starts taking pictures from both the front and back camera, records audio, captures the location, and the time stamp which keeps getting saved in the user's gallery. 
• The application offers a live location service called 'Track Me' that can be shared with friends and family. 
• A fake call can be scheduled from a random number and name punched in by the user to help the woman get through uneasy/unpleasant/potentially unsafe situations and walk away.
• The application enables the victim to record any unpleasant or potential harassment which can be later used as evidence. 
• The ⁠'Ask for Help' option is currently available in Tamil Nadu & Maharashtra where any user can reach out for help with regards to domestic violence, and sexual violence. With this feature, users get access to trained NGO experts. 
•  As for helpline numbers, the application offers general helpline numbers for the country. (Must have safety apps)

BSafe

The application was launched to provide women across the world a safer place to be. The application was created after the founder's daughter was subjected to sexual assault during her teens. Based on the experience, the application was built to protect women from across the world. 

Features

• SOS Button that helps activate an alarm and automatically begins recording audio and video. 
• Voice activation option to activate SOS alarm.
• Live streaming with guardians who can see and hear everything in real-time.
• Live tracking for friends and family with the 'follow me' feature. 
• 'Fake call' feature to get out of unpleasant and threatening situations.
• Timer alarms to help users define how long they wish to be followed by the application in case of an emergency.

All these three applications are available for both Android and IOS phones. Are there any other simple and effective applications that you think should make it to the list? Write to us on our social media handles. For more such stories, stay tuned!