Sikura – A brand designed to keep you safe

Sikura - A project aimed towards ensuring that no woman feels alone and helpless in Malta’s streets again.

Nicole Business March 3, 2022 at 3:51 pm
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Project Description

Project Inspiration

The project came about following yet another assassination of an innocent woman in Malta’s streets. The killing of Paulina Dembska, and shortly after that of Rita Ellul, has seen an uproar in Malta with many people demanding action to be taken and insisting things should change. I for one, wanted to say something too. However, from my past experience working with several NGOs on several relevant causes, I found that change doesn’t come from just saying that it should happen. Change starts with those people who stand up and do something about it and through the support of those who believe in what they do. No person is too small to make the world, or at least their immediate surroundings, a better place. So that is why I decided to start working on a project that would help women feel safer in the street until we take proper time to educate society, including our men, that killing or harming women just because they are women is not ok. 

Main aim behind the project

The aim behind the Sikura project is to create a line of devices that are trendy and subtle, for women to use if and when they find themselves in a moment of crisis that’s abusive or life threatening. The brand will aim to offer as many different devices as well as services as possible that support women, as well as children and members of the LGBTIQ+ community feel safer in Malta’s streets.

Key findings of our research

The Sikura brand has been engaging several women locally to find out more information about what they believe they need to start feeling safer in Malta’s streets. This especially after another innocent woman’s life was taken and that has left many feeling heart broken and helpless at the state of affairs in a country that deems itself to be safe.

Through the survey that was answered by 130 women from all over the Maltese Islands, we found that:

  • 29.2% of women feel somewhat scared of walking in Malta’s streets alone
  • 3.8% of women feel terrified of walking in Malta’s streets alone
  • 51.5% of women neither feel safe nor terrified
  • 88.5% of women have been catcalled
  • 47.7% of women were touched inappropriately against their will
  • 29.2% of women were insulted for saying no
  • 10.8% of women were forced to kiss someone 
  • 90% of women were asked by another female friend to text them when they’re home
  • 86.9% of women felt the need to ask another female friend to text them when they’re home

While the above may seem to be just percentages, for us they showcase a problem that needs to be addressed and fast. Feeling and truly being safe is just as much a right as having food on one’s table. It is a necessity for survival, for the physical and mental health of half of the world’s population. Therefore, we want to do our part in offering a temporary solution to a problem…all with the aim of coming to a day when we do not need to run such projects and initiatives again because the world 

What can Sikura already offer?

Throughout the past months, several partners and potential partners were identified in order to start supplying the local market with several devices that would support women in feeling safer in Malta’s streets. The aim is to provide more and more services and devices throughout the coming months in order to help equip as many people with varied budgets as possible. 

So far, Sikura has partnered up with the Malta Self-Defence Academy in order to provide several self-defence classes and courses. While a device is fantastic to have, until help arrives women need to be equipped to also defend themselves and that is why we felt the need for our brand to partner up with an academy and provide classes as part of its portfolio. The classes available through the Sikura brand are the following:

  • Personal/Individual session – Our individual training sessions can be held either indoors (within the academy premises in Fleur-de-Lys) or at your home. These sessions can be either one-to-one lesson or else you can share it with a training partner/friend. This allows you to receive full attention by the instructor.
  • Group Self-Defence session – On a weekly basis, people can join an actual Martial Arts and take on a Kungfu/Self-Defence beginners’ class.
  • Group Personalises workshops – Whether as a family or friends group or else looking at your next team building event for your employees, thanks to the Malta Self-Defence Academy, Sikura also offers a Kung fu/self-defence personalised workshop. This can be held either at the academy’s premises or else at a premises of your choice (office or home). This could be a one-off class or else a recurring session.

Apart from the self-defence classes, Sikura is also launching this crowdfunding campaign with its first product: Sikura Alarm Bracelet. The alarm bracelet is worn like a wristwatch and is therefore quickly accessible in case of dangerous and emergency situations. After all, every second counts in an emergency. By simply pushing the alarm button, a 120 dB loud alarm is activated, immediately deterring the attacker. The very loud sound (for comparison: a jet fighter taking off has approx. 125 dB) also alerts other people to help out.

Future ideas for Sikura

The aim for Sikura is that of providing a device that helps women feel safer in the streets but that is also economical, while keeping in mind that one’s safety is worth more than money. In the coming months, the team behind Sikura will continue its hunt towards finding a ready-made product that is ideal to be imported and sold to the local market or identify a team of local individuals interested in working on a custom device that could save lives while not breaking the bank. If you have the right skills/or mindset, send us an email on sikurawomensafety@gmail.com.

Why is this crowdfund needed?

This crowdfund is being set in order to help this project get the necessary capital to kickstart and establish itself locally. The first steps are securing a strong brand and an equally strong web platform and store for the Sikura brand. Apart from selling products, the platform will include several blogs and initiatives around education on violence and discrimination based on gender. Additionally, through the crowdfunding campaign, those interested will also be able to pre-buy the smart watch, the first available Sikura device locally mentioned previously.

Through this crowdfund, we will not be simply selling products that are currently available, but we will also be raising funds to cover costs in relation to branding, web development, and kick-off of Sikura. 

The team behind Sikura

The project is being spearheaded by Nicole Borg, a 26-year-old B.Hons. Communications with Theatre Studies graduate. Apart from establishing herself within the marketing, PR and journalism fields, she has been an active citizen through various local VOs and NGOs, predominantly with leadership organisation JCI Malta, where apart from serving the organisation for around 6 years in different positions, she led the organisation as National President throughout 2021. She has worked on endless projects in JCI Malta including leading the JCI Malta Awards (TOYP & Friendly Business Awards) in 2018, Step Up For Europe – Make it Count project in 2019 and the Buy A Meal and National Debating Competition projects in 2020 among various other initiatives, events and projects. She was made JCI Senator 78949 in 2020, receiving the biggest honour within JCI, only given to those who truly go the extra mile for the organisation. In her life outside of JCI Malta, Nicole has worked as a journalist for over three years and has now expanded her focus on content writing, marketing and PR. She is also a singer and is ½ of local band The Velveteens. In her free time she’s busy buying and reading books to add to her ever-growing library.

The Sikura brand is created and curated by local Graphic Designer Siobhan Vassallo. Siobhan is a BFA graduate with an avid interest in visual design, branding, typography, and the colour yellow. She is also a pianist. Although the past few years have seen her primarily based at BloomCreative, she loves taking on challenges and freelance projects of both design and musical natures.

The Concept Stadium, a local creative marketing agency, has partnered up with the Sikura team with the aim of creating the web platform as well as online shop and blog. The Concept Stadium is an award-winning branding, web and marketing communications agency. With over a decade of experience and together with its growing pool of Commercial Creatives, The Concept Stadium is equipped to take a brand from its design and development stage to launching it to any audience. Whether the target audience is B2B or B2C; it provides everything in between that one could need to gain go-to-market momentum in any industry.

The self-defence classes wouldn’t be possible without the support and contribution of the Malta Self-Defence Academy. The Malta Self-Defence Academy offers weekly classes in Dragon Kung fu & Self-Defence. 

This is Sikura…a new brand aiming to ensure that no woman feels alone and helpless in Malta’s streets again.

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