Sexual-Harassment-Reporting Apps Help Stop Abuse in Global City Streets

Efforts to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing also make fishermen safer at sea. Vessel Monitoring Mechanisms (VMM) and electronic catch documentation (eCDT) track the origin of fish headed to market, part of an international effort to ensure sustainable and equitable practices. Data transmission also makes fishermen safer, relaying their locations from hundreds of miles out at sea. In the Philippines, a partnership between Futuristic Aviation and Maritime Enterprise (FAME) and USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership helps cover subscription fees for FAME radio transmitter service.

Crowdsourcing data allows developers to help those with limited mobility find accessible routes. The AccessMap Seattle project, in collaboration with the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology at the University of Washington and OpenStreetMap, has tested and is improving a map where users can find and edit information about the elevation of rotes, sidewalks, and crosswalks to serve those who are challenged with their mobility.

Indian women have turned to smartphone apps like Safecity to help protect them from sexual violence. These apps use a combination of geo tracking and crowd-sourced stories to illuminate patterns of abuse in certain locations. Now, authorities, organizations, and individuals are using these apps to track and reduce instances of sexual violence around the world.

Motorbike sharing apps provide an alternative to traffic congestion and crowded public transportation in Nepal. The tech startup, Tootle, connects users to motorbike drivers with its ride-sharing app. Motorbikes offer a cheaper alternative to taxis and a less-crowded alternative to public transportation—a feature particularly lauded by female users. The startup has also received a grant from the United Nations Capital Development Fund to expand the services it offers.

For urban residents, participation in city-planning often means navigating complex administrative bureaucracy and struggling through a lack of transparency, but in New York City, efforts are being made to engage citizens in the renewal (and preservation) of Brownsville, Brooklyn. The city’s Housing Department has worked with the online platform coUrbanize to facilitate community-sourced ideas for the future via text. These residents’ responses are then inputted into a publicly-accessible map, which the city has pledged to incorporate into its planning.

Maine's rape kit tracking pilot program, designed to give sexual assault survivors more control in their investigations, works like package tracking. Victims receive a postcard with a kit number after evidence collection and can check the status of their kit online.

WARAKA Sexual Referral Centre provides services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including medical assistance and legal support. Amidst issues of confidentiality and stigma that prevent people from reporting cases of SGBV, the group uses an app that allows survivors to choose whether they share their identity or not when reporting an SGBV case. The app has recorded about 2,000 cases since 2022, inspiring the government to take action and enact relevant legislation to protect human rights and safety.

The Mind Clinic is a virtual mental awareness and counseling initiative run by volunteers, including those who are trained and experienced professionally. The goal of the organization is to create a pipeline for university students seeking mental health help. Volunteers listen to those in need, primarily through WhatsApp, and then assist them in getting the necessary care.

teleSANE services allow remote sexual assault nurse examiners to assist patients and guide nurses through exams via video chat. teleSANE services are expanding across the country, specifically in rural areas, expanding access for those in need of care.

The ShakeAlert system uses buried sensors to detect initial earthquake waves and warn residents of the West Coast of the United States to seek cover through cellphone apps.