What to do if you don’t feel safe. Application solutions for women

According to the WHO, approximately one in three women in the world (30% of women) is physically or sexually abused. Think about it! Every third woman!

The rapist is always to blame for the violence. Today, global active work is underway to make the world safer for women, but so far the reality is that security is something that everyone should take care of in advance. You may not be able to navigate in an emergency where you need to make a decision quickly. At the moment of danger, fear and stupor can seize you. However, you can avoid this by preparing in advance and having a "contingency plan" in case of danger.

RUBRYKA has prepared a list of applications that can help you in an emergency. Read to the end: there we reveal hackathon details, where you can realize your ideas and help in the fight against gender-based violence!

• Walk Me Home: allowing you to join a GPS tracking system while walking

This is an application that calls the emergency services if a woman doesn't arrive on time to her final destination.

How does it work? Before leaving for a walk, before leaving the office late at night, or after leaving gatherings with friends, users launch the application, or call or send SMS to 888. After that, the tracker starts tracking the location and calculates the approximate travel time. At the moment when the user should already reach the endpoint, they will receive a message from the tracker. If the message isn't answered, the service will call emergency services. You can download the application here.

What might not work? If you find yourself in an area where there is no Internet coverage, the application may not work, and it's not always quick to get through to the police at 102. This should be taken into account when planning your way home: it may also be helpful to warn someone close to you, in case your Internet connection is lost at some point.

• Rozirvy Kolo: danger may be closer than you think. Take the test

Even your family members can harm if you're in an addictive and abusive relationship with the abuser. The test is designed to warn women against addictive relationships with abusers and teaches them to recognize the signals of an unhealthy relationship with an abusing partner and to work on your self-esteem.

How does it work? After passing the test and getting unsatisfactory results, the site advises contacting the services in Ukraine that can help in case of domestic violence. The service also has articles that can easily and convey to a person what domestic violence is and what isn't.

What might not work? Victims of violence find it difficult to even admit some things to themselves, so test results may be inaccurate, and active action, such as contacting the police, may not be possible.

• SafeUp: connecting you to a community that is always ready to help

The application was developed by volunteers from Israel, and they advise girls to install it even in schools. Users of this program help each other in situations of danger. It doesn't have to be something "serious" like being beaten or assaulted. You can connect to the program even if you're simply scared to walk along a dark alley in the evening or when, for example, you're walking your dog at night.

How does it work? The application tracks geolocation and shows registered users nearby on the map. When you need help, you can press a button and the call is received by those users who are closest to you. They can just talk and support you, can call the police, can come and pick you up, take you home or to the hospital: whatever, any help.

What might not work? The application works in Ukraine, but there are still few users in it. This can be fixed if you just download it to your phone, advise your friends to do the same. However, it takes time for it to work fully. Another drawback is that such an application is available only to women; men will have to cope in dangerous situations on their own or in other ways.

• SHERIFF and Safor: an alarm button on the phone for a paid subscription signals a police squad or an assistance team

All you need is to install the application, subscribe, upload a couple of your photos and press the panic button at an alarming moment. But unlike previous services, this one is paid.

How does it work? The application tracks you by geolocation and in the event of an alarm, the SHERIFF security company promises to send an assistance team in 5-8 minutes. Subscription costs 250 hryvnias per month or 1900 per year. For each call with a 30-minute escort, you will have to pay another 750 hryvnias.

In the Safor app, security staff comes to the call, and you must be in the response zone of the patrols. If you're outside a coverage area, an alarm call in the current subscription may be rejected. The service price is $6.99 per month (about 190 hryvnias) or $71.99 per year (about 1940 hryvnias). At the same time, the first call for a quarter or a year is free, and the next one will cost you 200 hryvnias.

What might not work? Such applications are not 100% guaranteed. For comparison, there are a lot of Safor tags in Kyiv, they stand one on top of the other, and there are only 9 of them in the entire Zakarpattia region.

Have a better idea? Try it yourself!

You can create something like this to make the world less violent and the space around us safer. Hack for Locals 3.0: "Together Against Violence" is an online hackathon for those who aren't used to staying away from social problems.

• Caring proactive citizens from all over the country, representatives of different professions and industries will unite in teams to create solutions to prevent and overcome various manifestations of violence.
• The three best projects will be able to receive a grant for implementing their ideas from the UN Program for Peace Recovery and Development, support in drawing up a grant application, mentoring assistance from the organizers, and other valuable prizes from partners.

The theme of the hackathon is security, and everything related to it. This time, the direction of the search for ideas concerns every Ukrainian woman, Ukrainian man, and society as a whole. It's about countering violence. Its forms are varied, often hidden, or sometimes imperceptible. From physical claims to bullying. From psychological abuse to pressure on adolescents via the Internet.

Apply for participation in the hackathon if your informational, educational or technological project corresponds to one of the following areas:

• Safety in society. The hackathon offers assistance in supporting proposals for peacekeeping practices and methodologies for dealing with conflicts in various life areas, as well as initiatives that will contribute to the spread of a culture of cohesion and peace in communities.
• Home safety. Ideas and solutions to prevent and counter domestic violence.
• Safety in the community. Share innovative solutions that will help make our cities and villages free from violence in places of social activity of citizens.

It is very easy to join the project. For this you need:

1. Register for the event on your own or with an already assembled team by filling out the google form at the link.
2. Join the hackathon online.
3. Take part in mentoring sessions and create a project in the next 48 hours.
4. Present the generated idea at the discretion of the jury.
5. Collect your prize and receive a grant!

Hurry up to register as soon as possible!

• Registration started on October 7 and will last until November 21.
• The hackathon will run on November 26-28.
• Verification of projects and preparation of grant applications will last a month and will end on December 29, 2021.

Rubryka is a media partner of  Hack for Locals 3.0: