COULD a safety app save your life?
Violence against women and children has reached staggering numbers within South Africa, with statistics showing that just under 50% of women have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence within their lifetime.
Police figures show a staggering 10818 rape cases were reported within the first quarter of 2022 alone.
What can South African women, do to protect themselves?
Technology is part of our daily lives and the phone you already have in your handbag could just be a safety device, you did not know you needed. Here are some apps that can be used to ensure your safety when out alone or even in a group.
Here are our top 3 choices in Safety Apps:
The Namola App
Focusing on personal safety for you and your loved ones, the app has a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week call centre with trained responders. With a built-in panic button called “Request Assistance”, the app will contact the call centre notifying them of an emergency, after which they will call you back to confirm and then send out the necessary emergency services to you.
Another great feature is the in-app chat window, for those moments you cannot talk over the phone. It also features a live location share, which is great for notifying your loved ones when you leave and arrive at your destination – the app is encrypted so that your location is only shared with your loved ones and nobody else.
By upgrading to Namola Plus, for R59 per month, you will have access to private security and medical response, with a direct notification of your GPS coordinates being sent to the closest Armed Response vehicle, shortening response time. And in the event that you cannot answer your phone in an emergency, the safety app will send Armed Response to your GPS location.
The service also offers debriefing after traumatic experiences via trauma counselling telephonically.
Available on Google Play Store and Apple Store.
Life 360
Life 360 allows you to share your live location with those in your “Private Circle” in real time. Chosen family and friends will then be able to track your location live with the added feature of adding their favourite places to the map.
Notifications will be sent to your selected circle when you leave or arrive at your destination, and they will also get a notification when your phone battery is low. The only downfall is that it does not allow you to notify emergency services via the app.
A great feature is the Driving Safety and Crash Detection feature that records when you drive over a speed limit and can detect when you have been in an accident, sending a notification to your Private Circle and emergency contacts if help is needed or if you do not respond.
Available on Google Play Store and Apple Store.
Although this is not technically a safety app, you can certainly use Whatsapp app to your safety advantage. Live sharing your location is the best way to notify your loved ones of when you leave your location until you have reached your destination. The downfall is its accuracy in areas of poor network.
As the feature is end-to-end encrypted, this ensures that only those you share your location with will be able to see it.
Available on Google Play Store and Apple Store.
Technology can be used to your greatest advantage, so share this information with those closest to you so that everyone can get help when they need it most.
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