“What One Thing Would Have Made a Difference?”

By Claire Capetta
 
I have found that as survivors of domestic-violence and abuse, we often start a journey of healing and understanding. We slowly start to reach out to others who are starting their journeys of recovery. Many of us became authors, advocates, and therapists to help others. We look on these accomplishments as our own triumphs. But for many, overcoming depression and trying to reverse the effects of the gaslighting we endured for many years can be our own triumphs, just getting out of bed and facing the day can be enormous feats of strength.
 
Over the years on my own path to recovery, I have asked myself, “What one thing would have made a world of difference?” It slowly pinpointed down to one week, a week where I was held hostage by my abuser. He tied me to a kitchen chair, threatening me over and over with death threats and knife. I was allowed to appear normal when the children were around, cooking, washing dishes, cleaning... all the tasks we do as mothers. He stuck to my side the whole week, I was terrified, the phone had been unplugged and I couldn't get a note into their bags as a cry for help. I think about how, if I'd had a panic alarm hidden on me, I could have called quietly for help and the Police would've have been there.
 
That's why we are creating the Clarified Lifeline. It's not only a panic alarm for physical safety but we want to concentrate on mental health too, with an app. It has Mindfulness, Meditation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a Community, Journal and Picture Folder.
 
It gets a little technical of how it works, but I’ll try to simply break down how it works. Its connectivity is wireless with sensors using a RFID Chip and a pKO Cell, which “talk to each other.” As the RFID chip connects with pKO Cell, it creates a VPN number, similar to a computer. The pKO Cell is connected to a server, therefore a cloud where evidence is stored and also connected to the local Metropolitan Police Station through encryption. The encryption is changed every four seconds, this stops anyone trying to intercept or hack a signal to the Police. The signal or “Call for Help” is answered by the Police, giving the victim peace of mind knowing help is on its way.
 
The RFID chip notifies the Police exactly where the victim is via GPS, which connects only when the victim needs help. It is so advanced it will signal the location, not only outside but also if the victim is inside, which room they are in. A vibration motor is triggered notifying the wearer that the call for help has been answered, giving the wearer peace of mind that emergency services are on their way. It also records and time stamps the evidence for use in court. This is crucial to show that the evidence has not been tampered with, nor can it be.
 
How is an alert for help triggered? Simple, the coding within the RFID understands the bio-metrics of the wearer. It measures blood pressure and trajectory. When we feel we are placed in danger our “Fight or Flight” kicks in, therefore our blood pressure raises fast and dramatically, this is the first trigger sign. Secondly, it measures trajectory, which means it understands when we are sitting, walking, jogging exercising etc., however, the RFID knows when a sudden change happens for example a body blow, punch to the head, a fall down the stairs, a violent altercation. This records the trajectory of the body, down to how many punches, kicks etc. were received including how long it took for the victim to fall down the stairs and how many. This recording is sent to the Metropolitan local Police Station and is saved as evidence for court. It is time stamped and encrypted, again changing every four nanoseconds for total security.
 
What if you are not “in area” for a signal? This is what happens for most Panic Devices out there in the marketplace. They rely on phone signals, which makes it really difficult to put out a distress call for help. Not with Clarified Lifeline. The RFID Chip has a VPN, therefore is a microcomputer and talks to the server and the cloud, therefore you could be in a valley, the Nevada desert.... Your distress call will be answered. Even if you are on a boat, out at the sea, it will also call for help! This brings peace of mind to the wearer because many times when a violent altercation is happening the wearers' cell phone is often broken, stamped on and smashed. The offender believes all communication is lost for the victim when a phone is broken, believing he or she is safe.
 
Many Panic Devices are connected to the users' cell phones in order to work. If the signal to the cell phone is broken or the Panic Device is broken then no help is coming. Some Panic Devices connect to the cell phone and have a “Call a Friend” feature, the friend then has to listen in and decide whether to call the Emergency Services. Friends are wonderful, but do you really want your life in your friends' hands? With them wondering if you are being attacked or not? Or worse still, what if your friend doesn't hear their phone ring? Not good! Not safe and far too complicated!
 
The Clarified Lifeline App helps the wearer with Mindfulness, Meditation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, all known to reduce stress and anxiety, therefore helping the wearer cope and understand Mental Health, lowering the risks of PTSD. There is a Community Forum for victims and survivors to connect and support each other. A Journal and Picture Folder.
 
I really believe we can save many lives, putting in a lot of hard work to make it very simple. We believe that being safe shouldn't be complicated for a victim. When we are being abused we already have too much to think about!
 
We are in the process of taking pre-orders on our website from people who would like to be the first to get theirs and from charities.