Safe YOU

1 in 3 women worldwide experience some form of sexual or physical violence. Due to pre-existing structural barriers, women lack access to resources for support, advice and expertise or are not aware of their existence. Moreover, many domestic violence survivors do not try to seek out help due to an ingrained generational acceptance of violence or societal stigma. Additionally, only 41% of countries regularly collect data on violence against women, which means that effective policies cannot be created to combat the problem. 

Safe YOU, created by the Impact Innovations Institute, addresses gender-based violence (GBV) on both an individual and institutional level.  

The Safe YOU app provides women with educational resources and several security functions to protect themselves against violence. This includes an emergency help function which sends out free alert messages to up to 7 pre-chosen contacts (family & friends, service providers, police), as well as an audio recording function which records the user’s surroundings for use as proof of the incident. The application also provides free remote consultation services for women. Women can have private conversations with verified professionals such as social workers, psychologists, lawyers, and doctors. This function is key in addressing GBV, using a capacity building approach to women’s safety and development. Additionally, by onboarding professionals, the forums and private messaging functions will be used to provide educational and informative content and consultations with a special emphasis on family planning and maternal health.  

Safe YOU’s strategy to reduce and prevent gender-based violence is based on a platform and data analysis system. The Safe YOU app collects anonymous and confidential data, which the platform then analyzes to provide a unique live monitoring tool to track & prevent cases of GBV, as well as reports to governments to inform policymaking. The gaps in data on GBV are evident in every country worldwide. Addressing these gaps in data will lead to more efficient policymaking, prevention mechanisms, and an overall reduction in GBV, which is Safe YOU’s goal. 

In the past two years, the Safe YOU app has engaged 24,000 users across three different countries. The Safe YOU app has proved to be successful and in protecting the lives of women – the most recent case was of a mother, and her three-year-old daughter, who were attacked by the woman’s ex-husband and were able to use the Safe YOU app to alert the police. In addition, women in rural areas gained access to educational resources that strengthen women’s economic and social empowerment, and raise their general awareness, thereby also assisting in GBV reduction. 

“BOOST was an invaluable programme that offered our team the knowledge and mentorship needed to develop stronger and more innovative business practices. Additionally, we were able to strengthen our relationship with other UN agencies who support our work of reaching the SDG targets.” 

Visit Safe YOU website

or follow the organization’s page