Violence and social instability over the last few years in Europe is an important framework for discussion where urgent needs for intervention are necessary. In the 53 countries covered by the European Delegation of the World Health Organization (WHO) this subject has long been a hot topic where reports indicate that acts of violence amongst young people are fast growing with strong consequences for communities.
Direct impact of such violence is quantified on WHO reports where around 15.000 young people die every year victims of extreme violence in the European Union (EU). 40% of these victims (around 6.000) suffered from knife attacks. Due to the relatively easy portability of sharp devices within EU, this is the third leading cause of death among young people aged between 10 and 29 inducing catastrophic consequences in societies, not only in terms of the impact it has on the lives of these young people and their families, but also at a socioeconomic level.
It is important to create prevention mechanisms, educate and breed a spirit of harmony and peace within these socioeconomic nuclei. However, this work, which is being held by the WHO, still has many obstacles and challenges to overcome in order to reduce these numbers. Nevertheless it is imperative that communities have access to other defense mechanisms that enhance their security in daily lives. Some of these prevention actions diverge between 2 main approaches: 1: Personal defense tactics; 2: Technologic developments, including, among many others, garments capable of giving them time to escape or react, that is, increase decision time for victims. This “time gap” between attack and decision making is of crucial importance for the outcome of these situations, and may dictate the way it ends, varying between life, slight injury, severe injury or even death.
A. Ferreira e Filhos SA (AFF) has been using its knowledge and investments to develop solutions that fit this problems. As a result high cut & puncture resistant garment has been developed and will soon be available to everyone anywhere. Aff commitment to improvement is a constant and the societal challenges we are trying to address can have a very positive impact on the security of our communities.
The proposed solution was developed within a complex scientific research that started a few years ago, and culminated in the development of a sweater with high resistance to cut and puncture combining ergonomics, comfort and protection. The idea is to explore the architecture of knitting methodologies with high performance yarns and modern design in order to produce garments that can be discreetly used for both professional and personal purposes. This solution have been, and will continue to have, improvements that better satisfy our clients.
Come and meet these solutions, contact: aferfi@aferfi.com
Author Filipa Monteiro
