Civil rights and aid workers risk their lives every day, especially when they are placed in countries or situations that are hostile. Civil Rights Defenders, an organization that works to defend people’s rights, has been working to create a system using bracelets to ensure the protection and safety of the workers in the organization.
The organization began working on the bracelets in 2009, when one of their workers, Natalia Estemirova, was kidnapped and murdered. She disappeared without a trace and the company hopes that the creation of the bracelets will help protect people from something similar happening in the future. The bracelet has GPS and GSM technology, allowing the wearer to send messages to social media sites, and other workers in the area. The messages sent out will contain information about the worker and where their location. With the help of social media sites, the organization hopes to rally world-wide support for workers in danger while the messages sent to other workers will allow for faster reaction times.
The bracelet will send messages out manually if the bracelet is forcefully removed, then an automatic message will be sent. The main goal of the bracelets will be to scare off the idea of kidnapping or jailing a worker. Bracelets are currently being handed out, and by 2014 a total of 55 bracelets will be in use. Civil Rights Defenders will continue to look for ways to keep their workers safe.
