Necklace-shaped "panic button" to fight domestic violence

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Hürriyet photo

Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Policies has announced plans for an emergency "panic button" in the form of a necklace or bracelet to fight against domestic violence.The panic button has been recently used in two regions of Turkey chosen as pilot areas, the northwestern province of Bursa and the southern province of Adana.Four women in Adana and five women in Bursa currently possess the buttons.The button aims to provide the user with self-confidence while working as a dissuassive factor for men who might attempt to exercise violence against their spouse.The panic button device works on a GSM network, officials said, noting that they require an uninterrupted connection. The company that produces the buttons has reportedly been working on a necklace-shaped version, according to an official's statements to an Anatolia news agency reporter.The number of women under police protection has reached nearly 7,000 in Turkey, with Turkish local courts having issued 50,182 preventive measure injunctions to avoid domestic violence, according to statistics from the Family and Social Policies Ministry.