Latin America: Tools for Victims of Violence Against Women
Monday, October 7, 2019 4:35 PM

Latin America contains fourteen of the twenty-five countries with the highest rates of female homicides, or femicides, in the world. This includes El Salvador, which has the highest rate worldwide at nearly seven women killed for every 100,000 people. In response, developers are creating several smartphone apps to serve as a “panic button” for women in dangerous situations. The apps allow women to immediately contact local police, specified contacts in their phone, or nearby users of the app.

Some examples of these apps are We Help (Mexico), Boton de Panico Ni una menos (Argentina), and #NiUnaMenos (Peru). SafetiPin, an app originally created in India, allows women to mark certain streets or neighborhoods indicating whether they are “safe” or “unsafe”. The Laudrine app in Mexico is similar to rideshare services, but is specifically designated for female passengers and uses only female drivers. 

Compiled from: Dannemann, Victoria, In Latin America, women turn to apps to combat sexual violence, Deutsche Welle (May 10, 2019).