Can Social Informatics Help Women feel Safer?

I love technology and the many wonderful ways that it opens up the big world to us. It connects us in ways that would never happen otherwise. The fact is sexual assault on women is global, and some women have no way to defend themselves or tell the proper authorities which could help stop the violence. Only a women could fully understand the fear from a female perspective and that is just what was needed to bring this great idea to life!

Manisha Mohan, an aeronautical engineering student at SRM University in Chennai, India, found herself in a country grappling with turmoil after the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old student in Delhi in December 2012. Alongside fellow students Niladhri Basu Bal and Rimpi Tripathi, she harnessed her technical expertise to create solutions aimed at enhancing the safety of women. Together they developed a bra with an electric shock mechanism that would shock the intruder to help stop the act of violence.

This bra was well thought out to protect the women from feeling the shock by being fitted with a pressure sensor. It uses fabric that is bilayer which insulates the person wearing it. It also protects from normal hugging but can be self-activated with a switch if she finds herself in an unsafe environment. Another plus is the SHE (Society Harnessing Equipment) has the ability to send a text message with GPS coordinates of her current location to whom she designates such as friends, family or even the police department. This fantastic idea empowers women by combining technology and fashion to give a woman more safety measures to use as needed.

As great as this idea sounds there will always be drawbacks or other ways to make it even better. Some of the initial concerns were safety because the bra produces a 3800kv electric shock to the intruder which could be legally or ethically questioned. The women would need to prove self – defense with potential harm which can be complex in nature. It also sends a message to society that women need to take extreme measures even in normal everyday life to protect themselves. That can be labeled a social stigma.

In summary, In the United States alone, 1 in 4 women have reported rape at some point in their lives which is about twenty-nine million women (Quirk, 2022). While not all rape is from strangers, this bra will help in those times when the victim is surprised and/or not a willing participant.

The creator of the bra said it best, “My vision is to see every woman walking confidently on the streets in all parts of the world, even at odd hours,” says Ms Mohan. “I aim to give a sense of self-security to women living in the rural areas too. I have not accomplished any of my dreams yet, so it certainly does not give a sense of achievement so far. “Indeed, it adds more responsibility on my shoulders, as many women have placed their trust in this device” (Graham, 2013).

I too feel that if this idea can be developed and achieved in a safe and legal manner, it will help many women that once did not have a helping hand. How do you feel about this technology, do you think it is a good idea or no?