Journalists, activists and researchers have been raising the alarm about the dual pandemic of increasing levels of gender-based violence (GBV) during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Calls to helplines have increased, women and girls are disappeared and sexual harassment and violence persists both in public spaces and online. At the same time, women and girls are experiencing reduced mobility and limited contacts with social networks. Service providers also report disruptions to psychosocial support, legal aid centers are closed, and health-care providers and police have shifted to focus on pandemic response. Like all other facets of life, technology has become a valuable tool to help address GBV.
Experts have long been exploring ways of using technology to address intimate partner violence, sexual assault and sexual harassment. Yet, adapting these approaches to low-and middle-income settings requires careful consideration. New innovations are helping to better support survivors at home and are continuing to address this form of violence in public spaces.
One type of innovation is about using the internet to better connect survivors to pro-bono services. Mapa do Acolhimento, a solidarity network in Brazil, helps link GBV survivors with pro bono lawyers and mental health professionals. Mapa trains volunteers online and then matches them to survivors based on proximity, and has also created a guide and a map of GBV-related public services.
Other interventions are app-based with the goal of providing support to those who experience violence. In Armenia, Safe YOU mobile app is enabling users to seek help in emergency situations by sending free alert messages to pre-set personal contacts (including family members, government authorities, women’s support groups, and the police) using geolocation.
Similarly, the World Bank’s Peru team is supporting the design of a mobile app that connects GBV survivors with their trusted circle and provides them with relevant resources including preventive information and key support services, such as specialized helplines and police stations, amongst other resources. The app, which has been developed based on the Circle of 6 prototype, is being designed in a participatory way with Peruvian women for its adaptation to the national context.
Mapa do Acolhimento and Safe YOU are awardees to the Development Marketplace: innovations to address GBV, a partnership initiative with the Sexual Violence Research Initiative to advance evidence-based, innovative research on preventing and responding to gender-based violence in low and middle-income settings.
In Kolkata, a World Bank team has been working with the West Bengal Transport Department to address sexual harassment in public transportation. Pathdisha, which means pathfinder, is a safety app with pre-populated messages based on the type of incident, including sexual harassment and assault. The user can choose to alert the police, family, or various social services for support. The relevant service can be activated through a phone or a wearable device, which is enabled by Bluetooth paired with the phone. The team is now adapting the solution to Dar-Es-Salaam, in partnership with local stakeholders.