Anti-rape jeans and bra: Indian college girls invent range of security gear
College girls in India have unveiled anti-rape jeans, footwear and underwear to protect women from the growing menace of rape, which occurs every 22 minutes in the country. Unfortunately, the situation doesn’t seem to be improving.
Sandals that deliver electric shocks and jeans that have an inbuilt SOS button were showcased by college girls in the state of Uttar Pradesh – one of the highest in terms of crime levels.
Two computer science students at a private engineering college in the city of Varanasi, Rijul Pandey and Shalini Yadav, engineered and designed the sandals, which apart from the electric shock, send out an SOS signal to all the victim’s phone contacts.
"We conceived of this idea six months ago. While there are pepper sprays and other such things on the market, we thought of developing safety devices that don't need to be carried separately. The moment we hit someone with our sandal, it would send messages to friends and family members. It will also give a shock to the criminals and immobilize them for a few seconds. It can be used by any girl," the creators told The Guardian.
Two other students at the same institute, Diksha Pathak and Anjali Srivastava, developed an electronic tool that can be easily sewn into a pair of jeans.
They explained how the device functions, showing “a small button in it to raise an alarm and alert friends as well as family members on their mobiles and telephones.” Plus, the tool can be connected to the local police lines.
Both devices – the sandals and the jeans – are linked to the GPS system, as is the new “wonder” bra called SHE (Society Harnessing Equipment).
This crime-busting garment can also send out the wearer’s GPS data and transmit powerful shock waves causing burns. The bra is calibrated in a special way to avoid its accidental activation.
The device was developed by budding engineer, Manisha Mohan, who, along with two fellow students, came up with the idea following the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi in December 2012.
The 21-year-old said she came up with the garment because she felt it was her "moral responsibility" to do something to prevent crimes like that.
"I also believe that all problems can be handled through engineering solutions," Manisha told the Mail Today.
The engineer and her fellow students are working to improve the device, incorporating Bluetooth technology into the bra and link it to a smartphone application.
The bra is set to appear in the well-known 'Innovation Scholars In-Residence' program expected to start on July 1. Only four people in the whole of India can be selected for the program.
Incidences of rape are alarming in India. Uttar Pradesh Governor Aziz Qureshi said that this crime against women is “deplorable,” adding “the situation is worsening.”
The state’s Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav stated that between January 1 and March 31, 2014, 736 cases of rape occurred in India – that’s a 30 percent rise over the same period last year. Over 24 incidents of rape or attempted rape have taken place in the state since Tuesday alone.
