There are plenty of mobile applications that aim to \u2018ensure the safety of women.\u2019\u00a0 Now there is a new women safety app with a vision of engaging individuals, neighbourhoods and communities to make the cities safer.<\/p>\n
Called Safetipin, the latest women safety app aims to crowd source information about safety and the lack of it in public spaces. The app helps to make cities and communities safer by providing safety-related information collected by users. Using location-based information, Safetipin shows audit of the city based on information uploaded and shared by users on \u2018hazardous locations.\u2019<\/p>\n
The application requires internet access and GPS for its functioning. Users can create \u2018Circles of Interest\u2019, which could be their own neighbourhood, a place of work, or a place.\u00a0 Any post about any of these circles, will show up on a wall tagged for that circle. Users can agree to posts, put up their own comments, and even post it on Facebook.<\/p>\n
The post can be of anything like a safety audit, a place, harassment or a hazard or even a feeling.\u00a0 Issues in a particular locality such as broken street lights or open sewers can also be uploaded along with suggestions. These issues can be then forwarded to the nearest police station or civic authorities. Even information such as nearby 24 hour Pharmacies, Auto stands, ATMs, and directions to them can be accessed.<\/p>\n
At the core of the app is the Safety Audit.\u00a0 It consists of a set of 9 parameters that together contribute to the perception of safety.\u00a0 Each audit results in a pin on the specific location where the audit was performed and also records the time and date.<\/p>\n
Safetipin mobile app is developed by Jagori Women\u2019s Resource Group, New Delhi and is supported by Sakhi, a women\u2019s group. Sakhi will carry out a safety audit in Trivandrum and Kochi. Safetipin is free to use and is available in Android and iOS platform.<\/p>\n