Innovation and data-driven responses to end gender-based violence: Panel discussion organized by the Permanent Missions of Armenia, Argentina, Cyprus and Finland to UNOG

05 December, 2022

Permanent Missions of Armenia, Argentina, Cyprus and Finland to United Nations Office and other International Organisations at Geneva organized a side event on Innovation and data-driven responses to end gender-based violence. The Panel discussion gathered representatives of UN member states, UN entities, Special procedure mandate holders, civil society and academia. Ms. Reem Alsalem UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Ms. Monica Ferro, Director of the UNFPA Office in Geneva, Ms. Adriana Quinones, Director a.i. of the UN Women Liaison Office in Geneva as well as Ms. Anne Lavanchy Professor of the School of Social Work, HES-SO Geneva presented the issue from various angles elaborating on challenges and opportunities that innovation and technology possess for provision of services to victims and survivors. Conversation also focused on ways to enhance reliable data collection to better serve the policy actions at country and international levels.

Organized in the framework of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the side event in the format of Panel discussions featured one of the success stories in this regard - the “Safe YOU” app developed by young Armenian social entrepreneurs.

United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE campaign) supported the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. It called for global actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations.

Attainment of SGDs require greater efforts towards gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. Innovations and partnerships may serve as important enablers in this regard. The leaders of Generation equality Action Coalition on Information technology and Innovation for Gender Equality pledged to use ICT in implementation of SDGs.

Concerted efforts on global and local levels as well as close collaboration with a wide range of societal actors are as relevant as ever in the face of growing levels of gender based violence exacerbated by multifaceted security, economic, health and social challenges.

Against this background we also witness how women social entrepreneurs come forward with innovative solutions to fight GBV.

About Safe YOU

Safe YOU is an innovative technical solution which aims to break down societal structural barriers in order to protect & empower women. It consists of a mobile application which provides immediate emergency help to women at risk of violence, as well as acts as a bridge between women and pre-existing services (i.e. shelters/NGOs, medical professionals, social workers) which struggle to reach their beneficiaries, due to geographical or financial constraints. Women in vulnerable socioeconomic situations are often at higher risk of GBV. By providing free access to services for these and all women, Safe YOU is strengthening their social and economic empowerment, which will reduce their vulnerability to GBV.

Safe YOU is also a platform which allows stakeholders access to case management tools and a data analysis system designed to collect non-personally identifiable data (non-PII) and provide evidence-based policy recommendations. This helps to solve the global issue of a data gap and will lead to a long-term prevention of future cases of GBV.

One of Safe YOU’s core values is that it strengthens existing mechanisms without replacing them. It aims to improve the efficacy and reach of existing services such as CSOs and the Police, while aiding existing branches of government with policy making.

As a solution aiming to attain Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG #5 Gender Equality, Safe YOU has been recognized as a Digital Public Good as set by the UN Secretary-General in the 2020 Roadmap for Digital Cooperation.

Safe YOU has been active in Armenia and Georgia since 2020, as well as in Iraq since December 2021 with more than 25,000 users combined. Since inception, Safe YOU has facilitated over 8,000 consultations through the application and received 14,000 help requests. Additionally, over 40 independent stakeholders have been onboarded onto the app and platform.

Safe YOU: Awards and recognitions

DPG: In June 2021, Safe YOU was recognised as a Digital Public Good (DPG), a digital tool aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goal number 5 (Gender Equality) as set by the United Nations Secretary General’s 2020 Roadmap for Digital Cooperation

Google for Startups: In 2021, Safe YOU was accepted into the Google for Startups program as an innovative startup aimed at achieving one of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG5 Gender Equality.

UNFPA Innovation Challenge: In July of 2022, Safe YOU won the UNFPA-WIPO-ITU-ITC Joint Innovation Challenge 2022, one of 10 winners from 300 applicants.

Boost: In 2022, Safe YOU was accepted into UNDP’s Boost Program for Women Innovators. Safe YOU was chosen as one of the winner of Boost Program

Digital X: As of September 2022, Safe YOU has been featured in UNDP’s Digital X Catalogue, presenting innovative digital solutions ready for scale.

WSA: Safe YOU has also been selected as Armenia’s nominee for the 2022 World Summit Awards, and is now shortlisted internationally.

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