Women and girls deal with the constant worry of being physically or sexually abused every day. The prevalence of physical and/or sexual abuse by a partner or other person is about 35% worldwide.
In Nigeria, nearly 3 in 10 women had been victims of physical abuse by the age of 15, including forced and early marriages, as well as physical, mental, or sexual assault.
However, it can be challenging to get an accurate picture of GBV and responses to violence against women and girls due to subpar reporting.
That’s why, this year, three young Nigerian girls developed the Gender-Based Security (GBS) Alert mobile app for women and girls who are vulnerable to or experiencing GBV. The mobile app encourages prompt reporting of gender-based violence in Nigeria while protecting the identity of the reporter.
The app, which was developed by 10-year-old Mfoniso Princess Unwana Jacob, 10-year-old Deborah Olaalonpe Oladeru, and 11-year-old Eseose Noah-Okpere, has an alert button feature. When tapped by a victim, the button instantly sends an alert message with audio evidence of the abuse to the victim’s emergency partners and the appropriate government authorities.
The app also enables survivors of gender-based violence to connect with other victims and seek assistance.The girls, all primary 5 pupils at Jacob’s Well Montessori School International in Port Harcourt, developed the GBS Alert app with support from their mentor, Mr. Somkene Mamah.
The girls were shortlisted as semi-finalists in the Technovation Girls 2022 annual competition taking place virtually on August 12th.
Every Technovation girls’ “team” will be celebrated at the event for their accomplishments, and the amazing volunteer tech industry mentors who guided them this season will also be recognized.
Technovation, a global tech education nonprofit designed specifically to equip girls and women with powerful tech tools and knowledge, also mentors them to solve real-world problems in their communities, such as climate change, global warming, domestic issues, gun violence, and mental health, and more.
Through its mentoring program, Technovation is putting advanced tools and research in girls’ hands to drive progress and effect change.
The impact of its mentor-based curriculum is evident in the incredible apps that have been developed by girls from more than 56 different countries.
Currently, hundreds of solution-based apps are in the development phase by girls ages 8-18 in the program.
