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A smart new bracelet has been developed in a bid to help workers in war zones and other high-risk areas protect themselves from kidnapping.
The inconspicuous accessory, when triggered, uses phone and satellite navigation technology to discreetly warn others that its wearer is in danger.
The warnings are sent in the form of messages to social networking sites to ensure that people do not disappear without trace.
The Civil Rights Defenders campaign group, makers of the device, distributed the first bracelets recently and funding is being sought to make more.
Alerts can be sent manually by a wearer feeling under threat and are also triggered automatically if the bracelet is forcefully removed.
The alarm sends out information about its owner and where they were when the incident happened. Other staff nearby will also be alerted so they can start to take action to help.
The group behind the device is encouraging people to sign up to monitor the bracelets and their wearers via social media.
“Most of us, given the chance, would like to help others in danger,” said Civil Rights Defenders’ executive director Robert Hardh. “These civil rights defenders are risking their lives for others to have the right to vote, or to practise religion or free speech.”
In total, 55 bracelets will be given out by the end of 2014.
The rights group started work on the gadget in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of Chechen rights worker Natalia Estemirova in 2009.
