Safety pins bring women together to discuss trauma

Now, many of these women are taking the initiative beyond the confines of Twitter or Facebook out into the open, be it restaurants, offices, public transport or even the streets, identifying themselves ‘safe spaces’ for other women to open up to in person. How do they do this? By wearing a simple safety pin.

“Women in the US implemented the idea a year or two ago, and this is what we are following by sporting a safety pin at all times. This is basically to convey to other women that they have a friend in me, and can approach me anytime anywhere. After I posted about this online, a couple of them have confided in me in person, because they recognise the empathy. It is sad that it has come to this level,” said author Sharada Vijay, who has been wearing a safety pin over her clothes all week.

“But for women who aren’t aware of this, I’m going to a vendor and getting a badge that reads something along the lines of ‘May I Help You?’ so that it is more obvious,” she added.

Kirthi Jayakumar, the founder of The Red Elephant Foundation and peace/ gender equality activist, adds, “The idea of the pin came about after the Women’s March in the US, where my dear friend Rupande Mehta had posted about it way back in 2016 following the US elections. It was about creating a safe space for women to share their stories with other women. I adapted the idea after seeing friends of mine posting about it or reaching out to speak to me. I was in the UK for school and was restless about not being here in Chennai with women I know, so I did the next best thing by offering myself up as a safe space.”

The women who are part of the campaign add that they will assure trust, confidentiality and zero judgment. “It takes strength and courage to speak up. And choosing to speak up or choosing not to speak up is entirely your decision to make,” she said.