By Team Juggernauts

Rahul Pathak

Nikhila Nyapathy

Nitin Palla

Tanya Anand

Mani Krishna

Mobile based application

Neighborhood Watch-Mobile Help Centers

Gender Based Violence

Buddy hood

Conclusion

Currently, applications have been developed for women safety, many of them especially targeted at the Indian women.

Such applications are useful, but accessible only to those with a smartphone.

Even among those, the outreach is limited as many are either not aware of the application or they don’t consider it a prioirity to download it.

It would be extremely useful to introduce a policy which enforces a pre-installed application in all Java-enabled phones

This is the need of the hour as 3 billion mobile phones run Java and 31 times more Java phones ship every year than Apple and Android combined worldwide. In India, similarly the scope is wide.

The USP of this application is that it should be extremely simple to use and easy to access in the time of emergency.

When anyone purchases a phone, they can get a brief demonstration/manual on how to use it to be aware that such a feature exists.

It will be configured to send a distress message to the women helpline numbers(1096), an all women police station, the nearest police station of the area and to 5 close relatives/friends whose numbers would already exist on the contact list mapped by the application itself.

The distress signal can be sent out by long-pressing a single key on the mobile phone keypad.

• An alert SMS and email is sent with the user’s precise location. It provides proactive alerts when users approach the vicinity of ‘unsafe’ spots reported by other users almost anywhere.

Mobile phone companies

Mobile phone distributors

Independent women help groups (to monitor the situation and spread awareness)

Government (to issue the policy to ensure that phones manufactured from a certain period adhere to this)

This has powerful implications, for it reaches out not only to the smartphone users but also to every person having an ordinary cell phone, as most phones these days are Java enabled.

However it does not reach out to every single women, and caution must be taken to ensure that false signals are not sent by accident.

Myths and Realities about GBV-Gender Based Violence

MYTHS

GBV happens

only to poor

and

marginalize

d women.

REALITIES

GBV happens among people of all socioeconomic, educational and racial profiles.

GBV is not

common in

industrialized

countries.

Even in developed

countries, such as the

US, 1 in 3 women

report being physically

sexually abused by

their partner.

Men cannot

control

themselves.

Violence is

simply a part of

their nature.

Male violence is not

genetically-based; it is

perpetuated by a model

of masculinity that

permits and even

encourages men to be

aggressive

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+

Physical

Voilence

Sexual Voilence

Many women need to walk the streets or deserted roads late at night alone and unfortunately become the target of eve-teasing and street harassment

To counter this, mobile help centers can be employed to patrol deserted areas and keep a watch out for suspicious activity

Mobile help centers patrol unsafe areas and not just report, but also prevent suspicious activity from happening

They can have a dedicated phone line, in case of any incident reported, the nearest van would rush over to offer immediate assistance, such as first aid or shock counseling

Patrol vans is something which can be employed in both rural and urban areas

It can offer protection as well as immediate assistance in case of any unfortunate incident

The challenge is to keep ensuring, through surveys, the active involvement of the society and to instill the confidence in them to come forward without fear

Sexual Harassment at work place includes unwelcome sexually determined behaviour such as- physical contact and advances; demand or request for sexual favours; sexually coloured remarks; showing pornography; any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature

INCENTIVE OUTREACH PROGRAM : BUDDY SYSTEM

Scope:

Limited to urban women –work environments

A buddy system is a process set up to increase the safety of women. In its simplest form a buddy system will involve the women logging details of where they will be and at what time. A buddy system doesn’t have to be expensive and can be as simple as leaving details in an office diary and asking a colleague to be your buddy. This enables someone to know a worker is safe but also to be alert if there is a problem should they not make contact on time.

Why use a buddy system?

A buddy system is used to improve the safety of a lone worker. It ensures lone workers have a way of reaching help quickly if needed, and also aids the speed that help can get to them as the address details of where the lone worker is would have been recorded.

How easy are they to use?

There are many types of Lone Worker systems and devices on the

market, all of which offer their own unique services and advantages. An

organisation may choose to adopt a similar model to the one on the next

page at very little cost to the organisation, or invest further into a device

that will operate a similar system off site using call centres.

BENEFITS:

THE BUDDY RECEIVES AN MONETARY INCENTIVE AS A

FORM OF APPRECIATION FROM THE COMPANY FOR

MAINTAINING A SAFER WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN

OUTREACH:

Although provisions shall be made to render this system useful ,

stringent measures need to be taken against fraudsters.

SIMPLE BUDDY SYSTEM MODEL

WOMEN EMPLOYEES fill out a buddy slip in the office, leaves

a copy in office diary, one with buddy and keeps one.

At agreed check in time

Woman employee

arrives & checks in

Buddy acknowledges

this to employee

Employee leaves &

checks in

Buddy acknowledges

this to employee

Employee fails to check in

Buddy calls employee

No response? Buddy calls site of visit

Buddy advises a manager

Management

contact next of kin as necessary

Manager reports employee missing to

police

DIMENSION HOUSEHOLD COMMUNITY BROADER

ARENAS

Economics Contribution and

access to family

resources

Access to credit,

employment and

assets

High paying jobs,

CEOs, policies in

macro-economics

Socio-cultural Freedom of

movement,

education

Visibility in social

groups, shift in

patriarchal norms

Literacy, access to

educational

options

Interpersonal Domestic

decision-making

Campaigns

against domestic

violence

Shift in

regional/national

trends

Legal Knowledge of

legal rights

Mobilization and

campaigns

Laws for women’s

rights

Political Knowledge and

access to political

system

Representation in

local bodies

Interest groups

and strength as a

voting block

Psychological Self-esteem Awareness Sense of inclusion

Google news

Understanding Women’s Safety, Research Findings, Delhi 2009-2010

Women’s Safety Audits – UN HABITAT

www.wiseottawa.ca

Measuring Women’s Empowerment as a Variable in International Development(Research paper)