Gender based violence (GBV) is one of the biggest issues plaguing our country and one labelled a second pandemic by President Ramaphosa. Specifically, on 18th June 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa, during a COVID-19 presidential address, referred to it as such further highlighting the enormity and seriousness of the problem.
It doesn’t come as a surprise to find out that SA is one of the countries in Africa that reports the most cases of GBV, a gut ranching truth. ‘Approximately 3,000 women fall victim to GBV in South Africa every year. This figure defies comprehension, and reminds us that if we are to fight the scourge of GBV we must do all we can to enhance the safety of women – so that they can continue to take up space in different areas of their lives, as they live out their dreams and achieve their goals in the world without fear.’
Technology is one of the things earmarked in the fight against this pandemic and seeking to help with that is Huawei who have highlighted several apps, available on their AppGallery, aimed at assisting women as much as possible. Four apps are highlighted below all simplified and as easy as swiping a button to use:
Crime Spotter
Crime Spotter is a free, crime reporting and local alert app designed to make life easier for potential victims, but harder for criminals through fast distribution to and trending of local crimes. In South Africa’s case, this includes cases of femicide, human trafficking and pedophilic predators. The reporting of crimes is made easy and all other users within a certain radius of an incident or crime are instantly notified to spread awareness and gather information. All crimes reported are mapped to a location and added to a central searchable database that is public and available to all users of the system.
EskomSePush – The Load Shedding Notifier App
With load shedding becoming an infamous norm within our country, it is important that women know when and how to prepare for load shedding within their areas. EskomSePush provides multiple communities across South Africa with official times and dates of when load shedding is set to occur. This app is quite important for women (both old and young) as many criminals have begun to use load shedding as a time to commit crimes – especially towards the evening. EskomSePush coupled with CrimeSpotter can keep women alert on where (and where not) to be during certain hours of day and night.
Namola
It has become the norm for women to share their live location with loved ones when travelling – regardless of whether they are out and about during the day or going out for the night. With GBV and human trafficking sadly continuing to spiral in South Africa, it is only fitting that women become even more aware of safety issues within their communities. This is where Namola comes in. Namola is a live tracking, mobile safety app that allows civilians to receive swift help during emergency situations. Within excess of more than 450 assaults being recorded daily in SA, the app is a place where users can request help from public emergency services like the South African Police Services (SAPS), security companies, Fire & Rescue, an ambulance, as well as their listed loved ones.
Kickboxing
Unfortunately, sometimes we cannot avoid danger entirely – whether you avoid dangerous areas through the help of CrimeSpotter or stay safe with Namola. When in the face of danger, one needs to act on your feet, literally. Kickboxing is a popular fitness and self-defense application, which allows you to know how to protect yourself in difficult scenarios and/or conditions. The app has a group fitness class that combines martial arts techniques with fast-paced cardio. The best part about this application is that it provides users with beginner, intermediate and advanced classes, depending on the individual’s skill level.
It goes without saying but safety is something that is of the utmost importance and when it comes to women in our country (who mostly now need to be their own superheroes) it becomes even more important. With all that said, apps such as the above are a no brainer. Take precautions and stay safe out there, ladies we especially recommend getting these downloaded asap if you haven’t already.
