The WalkSafe app is the latest app in the United Kingdom that was created to help women feel safe, especially when they walk alone in the dark.
WalkSafe App in the UK
According to the Office for National Statistics, half of the women in the United Kingdom have felt unsafe when walking alone at night.
Most of them call a friend or share their location on their social media account. Some even have their keys in their hand, ready to use them as a weapon.
Sexual harassment against women has been an issue this year, with women across the United Kingdom finding different ways to feel better when alone or out at night.
After the tragic murders of Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard, an app called WalkSafe immediately grew in popularity, and it is now recorded as the fastest-growing safety app in the country, according to BBC.
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The founder of the app, Emma Kaye, revealed that she came up with the concept after she experienced flashing, groping, and sexual harassment herself.
Kaye said that the app is "bitter-sweet because they love that women now have the technology they can rely on."
However, the fact that women have to resort to apps to feel safe is worrying. Kaye added that no one wants to live in a world where a safety app is needed, but unfortunately, there is a place for it.
WalkSafe Update
WalkSafe will have a new feature added next year, and it will include a live map where your friends and family will be able to track you down and talk to you in real-time, according to Standard.Co.
For now, the selling point of the app is its map that lets people plan the safest route home as it shows you the recent crime data in the area.
Kaye said that the app encourages people to take precautionary measures to avoid crime instead of reactionary measures when in a dangerous situation.
Kaye added that they have ex-police detectives and crime analysts go through their data and categorize the map into areas the users would want to know about.
Just by reviewing the crime patterns, users will be able to know the crime hotspots so that they can travel through safer routes.
Since its launch in March, the safety app has had more than 500,000 downloads.
Researchers at the University of Bath are currently trying to solve the issue of safety products that are difficult to activate. They are creating a smartwatch app for women called Epowar, which could send alerts if it senses the user is in danger as it monitors the body motion and the heart rate.
The co-founder of the smartwatch, E.J Roodt, said that she came up with the idea while she was jogging in a park with poor lighting. She was worried about getting jumped. She thought that since smartwatches can detect heart attacks, women could use the technology for their safety.
Even though the sample size is small, the AI will be able to recognize the users' distress, and it will respond if the user is attacked when running or walking.
Apps for women have been on the rise these past few years. Last year, an app was developed to save women from domestic abuse.
In 2013, an app created by Microsoft was launched in India in order to protect women from harassment.
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Written by Sophie Webster
