Godrej Security Solutions urges women to take charge of their security

The objective of this campaign, the first leg of which was held today in Mumbai at Godrej One, is to create awareness among women to be more proactive and take charge of their own security, educate them about the various solutions and also educate them about the importance of learning self-defense for leading a safer and secure life.

The event witnessed participation of over 150 women from different walks of life pledging to take charge of their security.

The event began with famous Indian Stand-up Comedian Atul Khatri taking a humourous dig at the security preparedness among citizens in India.

This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Safety and security for women is a fundamental right’, which was moderated by Sunil Mehta, Senior Vice President & Area Systems Director - Central Asia, JWT. The panelist included: Mehernosh Pithawalla, Global Head - Marketing, Sales & Innovation, Godrej Security Solutions Division, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd; Sandhya Shetty, model, actor, TV presenter and karate champion; Harshada Patil, legal expert on cases pertaining to sexual harassment, senior representatives from the police force.

According to a recent report by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in India, every day 312 burglary, 99 robbery, and 1281 theft cases are recorded. Women, children and senior citizens are the victims of such gruesome incidents.

Addressing the event, Lata Dattatray Sutar, Senior Female inspector, said, “While the police department is working relentlessly to ensure safety and security of women in the society, it is also important for women to become more aware of their surroundings, rights and take charge of their security. A collaborative effort will further help to fight against this issue.”

Adding to Lata’s opinion, Mehernosh said, “One of the biggest impediments to the adoption of security solutions in India has been a reactive attitude towards adopting solutions to safeguard one's valuables and loved ones. Society is getting more tech-rich and empowered, and yet we remain as vulnerable to crime as before. Today’s safety and security anxieties are tied up not just with personal safety, but with safety of our loved ones at homes, workplaces, schools and campuses, public places and so on. Hence it is important that women too now take charge of their security and pledge to keep themselves as well as their families secure too. We need to make a fundamental change in our behaviour and be more proactive about security.”

Sandhya Shetty, who spoke in detail how learning Karate made her feel more secure and confident opined, “As they say, prevention is better than cure. It is important that women should learn self-defense and be more aware of their environment and the security threats. I firmly believe that learning self-defense improves agility, alertness and adds to your confidence too as it reduces your dependencies on others for security.”