KRG, UNFPA launch Safe YOU app for women facing gender-based violence
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), along with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), on Thursday launched an application called Safe YOU for women facing any violence because of their gender.
The KRG Ministry of Interior and High Council of Women Affairs have worked in cooperation with the UNFPA to launch the safety tool across the Kurdistan Region, Minister of Interior Rebar Ahmed said at a press conference during the launch.
The KRG has “zero tolerance” towards those committing gender-based violence (GBV). This new app would take us “one step closer” towards a society free of violence, the minister added.
The app alerts emergency contacts when a GBV victim is in danger. The safety tool provides the non-governmental organizations, relevant government entities, as well as friends and family members – whose contacts are entered in the app – with audio recording and geolocation tracking, according to the Safe YOU developer.
Since its initial launch in Europe, the app has more features and is available in more languages, said Dr. Rita Columbia, the international sexual and reproductive health agency representative to Iraq.
The launch is “really timely and very relevant,” Columbia added. She pointed out that the app can protect women from all kinds of violence, including sexual, psychological, physical, and cyber.
Today, we have good news for 👩🏻👧🏻 in #Kurdistan. @UNFPA w/ M. of Interior & #DGCVAW introduce a new tool to protect 👧🏻👩🏻 from all violence = #SafeYouKRI.
— UNFPA Iraq (@UNFPAIraq) December 16, 2021
Now Kurdistan can offer #GBV protection services to 👩🏻👧🏻 relying on technology," @columbia_rita, #UNFPAIraq Representative pic.twitter.com/AKvDMLYgXx
The Kurdistan Region can now provide GBV protection services to the victims, the international envoy said.
The interior minister said that the KRG has received 46,000 complaints over the past three years through the hotline services.
The Kurdish official reiterated that the government would continue supporting women's empowerment and protecting them from violence.