Thousand Arms and Eyes is a social tech company that wants to prevent rape, harassment and violence against women on a global scale.
Why? - It is a global problem. It is estimated that approximately 35% of women worldwide have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime. Because many women who experience sexual violence seldom report or come forward about their incidences, exact rape numbers are challenging to report. Women ages 16-19 are four times more likely to be victims of rape or sexual assault, and female college students ages 18-24 are three times more likely to experience sexual assault.
To prevent rape, assault and harassment against women, Thousand Arms and Eyes connects the two things most women carry with them - their favourite jewellery and their phone.
A Thousand Arms and Eyes powered charm looks like any other charm, but it is different on the inside - it is a device always connected to the Thousand Arms and Eyes app. If the charm is activated, the app shares the location with preset contacts, but also with strangers in close proximity. By following the guidelines from the app the rescuers - friends or strangers - can intervene and stop the assault.
As important it is to stop the assaults, it is of even greater importance to prevent the assaults from taking place at all. By making the charm a commercial item with a greater purpose, major fashion and jewellery brands will now be able to level with their customers and create massive awareness about this problem. Awareness that it is a major problem, that it has severe consequences - and that only together - men and women - we can stop it.
Thousand Arms and Eyes will produce and sell a tiny bluetooth device. The device is bought by fashion and jewellery brands and is placed inside charms or similar that the brands design, produce, markets and sell. On top of a small unit price the brands will return a kickback of minimum 1% to Thousand Arms and Eyes. The kick back will be used to in collaboration with organisations like UN to distribute units to women that cannot purchase a charm themselves.
Thousand Arms and Eyes will develop and maintain a free app. The app runs in two modes.
If you have a Thousand Arms and Eyes charm, the app connects the charm to your phone. The app constantly tracks your location and is ready to alert a pre-set list of rescuers and rescuers nearby if the button on the charm is pressed. As a rescuer, the app will alert you with details, location and sound of a victim, if a cry for help is made in the proximity. The app will guide the rescuer – and the other rescuers summoned - on how to get to the location and stay safe, while intervening.