SHE Problem Statement

Inviting solutions for Safety, Healthcare and Empowerment of Women

"I raise up my voice — not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard...we
cannot succeed when half of us are held back." ―Malala Yousafzai

The position and status of women all over the world has risen incredibly in this millenium.
But it cannot be denied that the goal of equality is still far off. Women empowerment is an
initiative to motivate and develop women by promoting their participation in all areas and
sectors, to build stronger economies, improve their quality of life and bring gender equality
with equal amount of opportunities. It means to empower her human, social, political and
economical rights and make her stand in this society on the same dais as her male
counterparts.

SHE is an initiative to aid technology contribute to this global movement. It is an effort, a

process, to uplift the conditions and status of women round the globe. Gender Equality is
among the top five Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations to achieve a better
and sustainable future for all. It is not only a fundamental right but a necessary foundation for
a peaceful and prosperous world.

SHE invites entries from participants addressing any one (or more) of the three problem
statements given below.

 SAFETY
Violence against women and girls is among the most universal and pervasive human
rights violations, affecting at least a billion women across the globe.
 Sexual Assault
India’s numbers representing the heinous crimes against women are shocking.
In 2016, India recorded 106 rapes a day and four out of every ten victims were
minors. Additionally, abductions, acid attacks, physical abuse, molestation,
stalking, eve-teasing – these are the known crimes occurring in India every
single day. Women for no fault of their own, even little girls are attacked with
such brutality – that now there is a fear brewing in our minds.
 Harassment at Workplace
38% of Indian working women have faced sexual harassment at workplace.
But it was also revealed that 70% of the women do not report sexual
workplace harassment in India. To encourage the economic participation of
women, we must first ensure safe and secured working spaces.
 Female Genital Mutilation
At least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone female
genital mutilation, says a report by the UN. Female genital mutilation causes
severe pain and significant long-term psychological and physical problems.
Although being banned in many countries, it is still a common practice in
some African and Asian nations and communities.
 Human Trafficking
 Women and girls are abducted everyday and then forced into the trafficking
trade. Females account for 71 per cent of all human trafficking victims
detected globally.

Problem statement: Participants are expected to come up with technical

solutions to address the issue of safety for women. The innovations can have
hardware components or software or can be a combination of both. The
solutions may help in preventing the crimes against women, or provide a
medium for personal defence, or aiding them in reporting these crimes etc.

 HEALTHCARE
Gender remains an important social determinant of health, since women's health is
influenced not just by their biology but also by conditions such as poverty,
employment, and family responsibilities. Women have long been disadvantaged in
many respects such as social and economic power which restricts their access to the
necessities of life including health care, and the greater the level of disadvantage, such
as in developing countries, more adverse is the impact on health.
 Cancer
Breast, cervical, ovarian and uterine cancer, that account for more than 70% of
the cancers in women in India. According to the Union health ministry, breast
cancer ranks as the number one cancer among Indian females with rate as high
as 25.8 per 100,000 women and mortality of only 12.7 per 100,000 women.
 Maternal Health
In 2010, about 800 women died everyday around the globe, due to
complications of pregnancy and childbirth, including severe bleeding after
childbirth, infections, hypertensive disorders, and unsafe abortions. The risk of
a woman in a developing country dying from a pregnancy-related cause during
her lifetime is about 25 times higher compared to a woman living in a
developed country.
 Menstruation
The current state of menstrual hygiene and sanitation in India is in a pathetic
state. According to a study published in 2011, only 12 percent of Indian
women have access to sanitary pads during their periods. The study says that
the remaining 88 per cent use shocking alternatives like un-sanitised cloth,
ashes, husk and sand.The lack of hygiene awareness is primarily due to the
taboos surrounding menstruation in the society.

Problem Statement: Participants are invited to present innovative technical

solutions (either as hardware or software or a combination of both) that would
contribute to the overall-well being of women. The solutions can be in the form
of early-stage detection devices, or smart health monitoring devices, or
innovative menstrual hygiene products etc.

 EMPOWERMENT
 For a long time, women were excluded from any kind of participation in the economy
of a nation.It is very true that equal growth of both sexes will increase the economic
and social development in every areas of the country. Empowering women so that
they have the independence to make their own decisions and participate fully in
economic life across all sectors is essential to build a developed nation with a
sustainable future.
 Education
Education is one of the most important means of empowering women with the
knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the
development process. With 65.46% female literacy rate as per the 2011
census, women’s education in India is still a point in question.
 Employment
Were India to rebalance its workforce, the world’s biggest democracy would
be 27% richer. There are strong cultural prohibitions in some parts of India
against women undertaking paid work outside the home. A rise in female
employment rates to the male level would provide India with an extra 235m
workers, more than the EU has of either gender, and more than enough to fill
all the factories in the rest of Asia.

Problem Statement: Participants have to come up with technical solutions that

would contribute towards women’s education and/or empowerment and/or
overall development. Solutions can have hardware or software components or
both. They can be in the form of low-cost innovative devices that may aid in
training for jobs, or as a medium of primary education etc.

NOTE: The sub-topics and examples of solutions listed above are only for guidance
and indicatory purposes, rather than restrictions. Participants are free to come up
with out-of-the-box ideas and innovations.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

I. Eligibility
1. Only students of authorized institutions are allowed as participants.
2. Participation can either be individual or as a team.
3. A team is allowed to have a maximum of 4 members.
4. Multiple teams from the same institution are allowed.
5. Teams comprising of members from different institutions are allowed.

II. Registration
All participants have to register on official website: www.technex.in->PAHAL-
>SHE->Register.

III. Communication
All official communication will be through Technex e-mail. Participants will notified
and updated as required.
IV. Event Structure
SHE will be a two-stage event.

1. Abstract Submission:
The registered teams need to submit an abstract describing the idea they wish
to present. Format of the abstract is at the end of this document. Teams must
strictly adhere to this format. The abstract should be mailed to
events@technex.in (cc- akshika.agarwal.che16@itbhu.ac.in ,
ashashwat.sharad.mec16@itbhu.ac.in & ankitkr.singh.che16@itbhu.ac.in ) .
Last date of abstract submission is 8th February 2018. Teams will be judged
on the basis of their abstract and top teams will proceed to the 2nd round.

2. Presentation:

i. Shortlisted teams from the first round will be allocated a mentor right
after the results of the first round. The participants are encouraged to
improve upon their ideas in the mentorship phase and prepare a
presentation for the finals. The mentors will guide each team through
the preparations.
ii. ii. The presentation round will be conducted during Technex’19.
Shortlisted teams of the first round will be invited to present their ideas.
The time for presentation will be 8 mins + 5 mins (presentation + QnA).
They will be judged by an esteemed panel of judges. The decision of the
jury shall be final and binding.

V. Judging Criteria
Teams will be judged on the basis of the following criteria:
1. Creativity and Originality
2. Novelty
3. Sustainability
4. Scalability
5. Impact

VI. Abstract Format

The following details must be taken care of while preparing the abstract:
1. Abstract must be submitted in a pdf format.
2. Font- Arial, Font Size- 11
3. Abstract should contain the following sections in the given order:
i. Title
ii. Team Name, Team ID
iii. Problem addressed (mention the problem statement addressed from this document)
iv. Objective
v. Beneficiaries (for whom)
vi. Description (brief)
 vii. Technical details (of the solution)
viii. Pictures, video of the working prototype (if any - not compulsory)

A link of the Google Drive folder should be attached, containing the pictures and video of the
prototype.