Women's Safety: Essential Safety Products Women Must Carry In Their Handbag In All Situations

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When it comes to recognizing human rights violations, we often think about workplace or domestic violence, and therefore, girls and women who get harassed in public spaces get neglected often, and there are very few laws or policies that prevent or address this issue.

According to the NCRB report, the number of crimes against women grew from 56.5% in 2020 to 64.5% in 2021, (incidents per 1 lakh population). Also, as per data from a report by Breakthrough India, a women's rights organisation, 55.3 per cent have observed the discomfort of the woman/girl facing violence, and almost as many have intervened in an incident of violence against women in a public space.

Be it an urban or rural setting, women from across the globe go through sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence in public spaces. Be it unwelcome sexual gestures, remarks, femicide or rape, everything can happen on streets, schools, workplaces, in and around public transportation, public toilets, different sites, and parks.

Due to these, a girl or a woman losses their freedom of movement, access to essential services and enjoyment of cultural and recreational activities and ability to participate in public or personal life. Further, it negatively impacts their well-being and health.

Recently incidents of women being stabbed to death, be it young or old has sent chills down the spine of the entire country and has raised concerns about women's safety in India. Due to inadequate efforts of the authorities and society, perpetrators escape after committing the crime.

There is no point living in constant fear of being sexually harassed or eve-teased when you step out of your home. Therefore, we have listed some essential items that women can keep in their handbags and use to protect themselves from perpetrators.

1. Pepper Spray
This is one of the most reliable self-defence tools, an economical one, and has a lot of variety too. Some are good and effective enough to spray up to a distance of 20 feet. They are easily available in online stores and local markets as well. Just spray in the right direction and your job will be done, atleast it will give you enough time to run away from perpetrators.

2. Insect Repellent Or Body Spray
You can not only bug off insects but perpetrators too with this spray. If you are in a situation, where escaping looks difficult, this will certainly buy you some time. Be it a deodorant or an insect repellant, as long as it gets you out of trouble, it is worthy of in your handbag.

3. GPS Tracker
This is not really a weapon but a device that can come in handy when you are in trouble. This device will help you to track your location. If you can sense something wrong with the place you are in or the person you are with, it is a safe habit to share live location with someone you trust like your friends and family.

4. Pointed Jewellery
If you are travelling at late hours then probably, this is the safest item to carry. You can throw a punch and probably get a tiny scope to escape a disastrous situation. You can poke the perpetrator and cause them enough pain. However, you need to make sure that you do not harm yourself in the process.

5. Whistle
This is a small but powerful tool whenever you are in a situation that seems fishy or in a deserted area. You can simply take out the whistle and blow it loud. This will attract the attention of the surrounding and make it easier to call for help or it might also scare away the perpetrator.

6. Small Knife
This is one of those weapons that can be quite useful when you land in a situation that is extremely serious. You can use it when it is absolutely necessary and keep it in the bag. Use a knife that is 4 inches long and less than 2 inches wide so you don't violate any law. You can carry other items with this, in case the previous one fails.

7. Sharp Objects- Pencil, Nai Filer, Ink Pen Or Clipper
You can also carry a pointed object like a pencil, ink pen or nail filer in case you want to poke the perpetrator really hard. These will come in handy when you are in a moving car, and the driver or a fellow passenger tries to harass you. Also, you can use these in the crowd if someone tries to touch you or push themselves onto you.