Activists face numerous threats in their line of work. They are under constant pressure of being kidnapped, attacked and even tortured in the course of their routine work of fighting for numerous rights and / or issues. India, too, is no exception to this – we have a plethora of cases against “unknown” and “anonymous” assailants who have harmed, attacked and in some instances, even murdered, social activists who have taken a stand on a certain cause. An instance at the top of my head is that of Mr. Narendra Dabholkar – an anti-superstition activist – who was shot dead, in the wee hours of the morning at Pune in Aug, 2013, for his numerous agitations regarding the Anti-Superstition Bill which was to be discussed in the State Assembly.
Amnesty International, a world renowned NGO for human rights, has stepped up the ante in order to help such activists further their cause, while having to worry less about their family’s and their own safety. For over a year they worked, in collaboration with iilab, to develop a Panic Button app which is touted to be quite beneficial in case any of the aforementioned occur i.e. attack and/or kidnap.
The process is quite simple – download the app for your Android phone (unfortunately, it is only available on the Android currently) and take out some time to set up the app. The set up involves providing the details of 3 contacts who you believe will be able to take swift action in event of the app being activated. Now, in the event of an attack, you simply hit / smash / tap the power button on your phone rapidly to activate the app, which sends an SMS and regular updates of your location (provided your GPS is enabled and you have sufficient credit) to those pre-chosen contacts, thereby enabling them to act fast.
There are numerous benefits, also the app is not just for activists, but even women in general – especially in third-world and developing countries, like ours, where crimes against the fairer sex seem to be as big a concern as on activists. Some of these are as follows:
- Transforms your smart phone into a secret alarm in event of an emergency.
- Provides one, especially activists, with increased protection in the face of omnipresent threats like an attack, kidnap and even torture!
- It has been established that the first few hours after an attack / capture form a crucial window which, if utilized in an opportune way, can help trace and maybe even lead to the freeing of the person in question.
The activist’s network and colleagues can use this window of time to organize impromptu protests, flood police stations with calls and visits while possibly alerting & mobilizing lawyers and organizations like Amnesty to swing into action as well! Amnesty International has tested this app amongst hundreds of users spread across 17 countries and most claimed that the app helped reduce the risk involved with their daily work.
Kudos to these valiant efforts to help make our world a safer place to live in – for not just activists, but all!
To download the app from the Google Play Store, click on the following link – Click Here!
