According to a study made by CDC, the number of American women who are ever the victims of sexual assaults during their lifetime keeps increasing. In the United States alone, it is estimated that approximately 19.3% of women and only 1.7% of men have been raped at some points in their lifetime, and 43.9% of women, 23.4% of men suffered from other forms of sexual violence, respectively.
It’s high time women should be protected against sexual assaults and other threatening situations. That’s why a tinny device called Athena has been developed by Yasmine Mustafa, a woman from Philadelphia, who are also the founder of Roar for Good company.
The inspiration for the product came to Yasmine Mustafa shortly after her trip across South America where she has repeatedly heard stories of sexual assault. “As amazing as [the trip] was…literally everywhere I went I would hear of a time where a woman had been attacked,” Mustafa told Mashable. When she returned home, another case happened when a nearby neighbor was attacked, and sexually assaulted after she had gone outside to read her meter. On the next day, she read the news story and the idea of Athena was produced.
“The whole idea is to take ownership of yourself and empower yourself,” Mustafa adds. “It’s about empowering women to live a life without fear.”
$250,000 has been raised for this project from local investors. The company also expects to launch this product in early May, 2016 with the starting price being around $99 per set.
This wearable is equipped with a small, low-energy Bluetooth chip and it can be easily clipped into clothes, attached to belt loop, shirt, purse or any position in your body that your hand can easily reach in case of need. Although Athena is designed to protect yourself, it does not mean that the presence of this device makes you ugly. By contrast, Athena looks quite fashionable and you can use it as an accessory with three color options: antique silver, black, and rose gold.
The device works by connecting a mobile app of Roar. The users first create an account and add emergency contacts in the app (maybe your family members or close friends). When you finds yourself in danger, you just press the button for three seconds, at the same time, the device will emits a loud alarm and an emergency message of notifying your location will be sent to your contacts. A silent mode is set by Roar so that you can handle everything in silence to avoid the risk that the sexual offender may notice your action.
The wearable is unisex and can be used by not only females but also males. Children and the old are also encouraged to purchase this device for personal protection.