Smartphones to 'pin the creeps'

INDIA: With virtual bodyguards, panic buttons and maps to pinpoint harassment blackspots, women in urban India are using their smartphones for protection after a notorious gangrape in New Delhi.

Interest in safety apps and websites has surged since the fatal December attack, in which a 23-year-old student was set upon by a drunken gang on her way home from a cinema in the Indian capital.

After outrage and protests erupted, four businesswomen set up Safecity.in, a website for victims of harassment to channel their anger. The site encourages them to "Pin the Creeps" by reporting incidents of harassment and abuse - ranging from catcalling to rape - which are added to an online map and sent to those requesting alerts.

Mumbai-based Elsa D'Silva, a founder of the site, said social media had allowed women to speak out and warn others of dangerous areas, even if they are reluctant to give their name or make a complaint to the police.

"Now you feel more empowered to do something about it, even if it's just sharing your experience," said D'Silva. "We're not going to keep quiet any more."

The website has linked up with new mobile app SafeTrac, developed by tech firm KritiLabs and downloadable for free, which has an SOS button to alert emergency contacts and lets relatives or friends track the user's journey. It joins a host of similar apps designed to reassure women, especially those working late and travelling alone - that is, if they can afford mobile Internet access. The first such Indian app was FightBack, launched by non-profit trust Whypoll a year before the Delhi attack, since when it has gone free of charge and seen a flurry of downloads.

Why poll founder Hindol Sengupta said they were now working on a "next generation" app that will include guidance for reporting abuse. "Women often don't know their legal rights when they go to the police station and they can be further violated there," he said. - THE HINDUSTAN TIMES