LAGOS, Nigeria ( VOICE OF NAIJA)- Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP), in collaboration with Teqbahn Labs, has announced the pre-launch of Encare Response App, a groundbreaking application designed to revolutionise response to cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Alimosho, Lagos State especially during emergencies.
It is hoped that the mobile app will transform the way domestic and sexual violence cases are reported and responded to in Alimosho communities.
The app, designed by Encare, enables users to report cases of violence quickly and easily, connecting them with the police, community, and the Lagos State Neighborhood Watch in real-time.
Founder of Encare, Mr. Chidubem Ironsi, explained that the app aims to bridge the gap in reporting violence, ensuring swift action and support for victims.
“We want to empower the community to report cases without fear, and with this app, they can do so anonymously and conveniently,” he said.
He noted that the app is user-friendly, accessible to people with disabilities, and can be used anywhere.
Adding that those without smartphones can report cases by sending “ENC” to 34461, he said Encare aims to further reduce violence by at least 30% in the next five years.
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On her part, Founder of Ireti Centre and Women’s Right and Health Project (WRAHP),
Bose Ironsi highlighted the importance of swift reporting and the app’s potential to reach unreported cases.
“Over the years, we have created awareness the community but we still see that the community people still hold back information due to one reason or the other.
“We have noticed that if you have 1000 reports, and 10,000 people that have reported, then there have over 100,000 unreported cases. So we want to give room to all those people to report.
“Because it is an App, you can report from your own convenience at your own time, not necessarily getting people involved. The only thing they perpetrator will see is the police at his or her doorstep,” she explained.
Asked how she is sure that the police will respond to the reports when they get it, she said the app is designed in a way that when there is a report, the police, the Lagos State neighborhood watch will get it and the community will also get it so the police can’t deny getting it too.
On her part, Ms Vydia Sri from Teqbahn Lab, the company responsible for designing the app said her company is a carbon sensitive information technology company, that only build carbon sensitive tech “which means their software produces less carbon, needs less power and less CPU to function.”
Sri who is also the co founder of Every Women Treaty, a global treaty to prevent violence against women and girls said her company focuses on issues that disproportionally affect the community and domestic and sexual violence falls in that gap.
The domestic violence survivor said domestic and sexual violence is a problem everywhere.
“We are very interested in social impact issues and we build the app in house. We don’t use anyone else, and we have been doing this work for 20 years. The goal is to stop and end violence.
“We are starting in Alimosho because this is where WRAHP was born but the app can work anywhere on a phone within Nigeria,” she said.
Representing the Community Development Executives, the CDA General Secretary, Adebayo Tokunbo praised the app, stating it will enhance reporting and make their work easier.