As a woman, I personally am paranoid when it comes to my safety. It sucks that whenever I go out alone, I have to be extra cautious about my surroundings and have my doors locked immediately when I enter my car. No longer is it safe to go for a jog alone in the park and have my earphones plugged in without worrying that there might be a predator around. However, that can all change with Pocket Angel as it is a way to provide the ultimate protection for women and help them be equipped when faced with danger.
With the latest launch of their #ChooseToSpeakUp campaign, they aim to draw attention to the importance of personal safety and to encourage women to speak up about their sexual assault experiences by creating a safe sharing space where women are able to draw strength and support from each other.
Featuring three Malaysian women; Siu Lim, Talitha Tan and Tharsyani Nair — they will be leading the initiative by raising awareness on personal safety and speaking up against sexual assault. These women strive to empower all women through empathy and solidarity through strength in numbers, especially young and vulnerable women, via demonstration of how many women have survived sexual assault.
Pocket Angel also wishes to help reduce the stigma of speaking up against such issues in society; aligning with the brand’s long term goals of creating acute awareness on the importance of safety.
“Through the #ChooseToSpeakUp campaign, we hope that the power of sharing our message with one another will allow women all over Malaysia to live their best lives. Creating a safe discussion space and protecting women is our ongoing mission here at Pocket Angel. Spearheading the campaign in lieu of International Women’s Day will be Siu Lim, Talitha and Tharsyani who we are proud to be working in efforts of women empowerment together,” said Serene Ho, Brand Manager of Pocket Angel.
Helping women feel secure and protected again is not new to the founding team at Pocket Angel. Made by women for women, Pocket Angel is a lightweight and compact safety device that is easily attached to keys, bags and articles of clothing. When activated, the device emits a piercing siren of 130db with accompanying flashing lights to alert passersby and call for help in a potential dangerous situation.
“With Pocket Angel, the idea was to provide women like me with a sense of safety whenever we step out of the house to run errands, attend a school or go to work. It is indeed worrying to see how the number of sexual assault cases continue to be on the steady rise and as women ourselves we wanted to step-in and enable other women to live their lives fully and boldly without having to be on edge all the time. Through this entire initiative as well, we really want to highlight the importance of self-defence and speaking up against sexual predators,” said Serene.
In comparison to other safety devices such as pepper spray that its illegal in certain countries and is deemed as dangerous and even deadly if handled poorly, the Pocket Angel is a safety device that is meant to help with individual defence by drawing attention to the situation and thus increasing the chances of receiving help under dangerous circumstances. It is always better to have some form of defence than none, as agreed by Pocket Angel’s large and increasing customer base – having sold over 10,000 units in almost five months since the brand launched in October 2020.
“I love to jog early in the morning or late at night so I have been looking for a safety tool to make me feel safe during my jogs. As soon as I saw the Pocket Angel, I knew that I had found the perfect tool. Both lightweight and compact, it has really given me peace of mind not only during my jogs but also for whenever I am out and about,” remarked Chyanit, a Pocket Angel user.
The Pocket Angel is the first of its kind made available locally, with a sleek design and long-lasting battery life of up to three years. There are currently five different colours of Pocket Angels to choose from, including Pink, Black, Aqua, Yellow and White. A part of the proceeds from every Pocket Angel sold during the campaign will be donated to the Women’s Aid Organization (WAO). To make your own Pocket Angel purchase, check out their website and Instagram.