The Ministry of Internal Affairs presented a mobile application for responding to cases of domestic and gender-based violence
Today, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine presented a mobile application that allows the injured person to call and get help without a phone call, without attracting the attention of the offender. It is an additional and convenient way to respond to cases of domestic and gender-based violence. Also, the mobile application is a resource with useful information about the types of violence, a map with all available services nearby, and, of course, a button to call the police. The project was implemented with the assistance of the British Embassy in Ukraine, the United Nations Population Fund and with the participation of First Lady Elena Zelenska.
The application is already working, it is available for download on Google Play and the App Store. Note that the program is integrated with the information and communication system “Information Portal of NPU”. In addition, the developers note that the appearance and functionality will change, because this is a security issue. The name of the application is not distributed publicly so that the abuser cannot identify it on the victim's phone.
During the presentation, First Lady Elena Zelenska emphasized that the implementation of this project is another step in the fight against domestic and gender-based violence.
“It is said that in difficult times, social habits become more violent. And we may not even notice ourselves how we become tolerant of violence, how we become less sensitive to cruelty. And this is a great threat to our humanity, to ourselves. There can be no excuse for violence and cruelty, under any circumstances. Ukraine is now fighting not only for its freedom, not only for the right to live on its land, we are fighting the aggressor and for humanity. In order to remain human,” said Elena Zelenskaya.
Domestic violence has not disappeared anywhere, moreover, the Ministry of Internal Affairs expects an increase in the number of cases in the future. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the NPU has registered more than 58 thousand reports of domestic violence. This is more than twice as much as last year. 18,226 offenders are registered. And according to the results of a survey conducted by the UN Population Fund among target groups - 56% of respondents feel that the number of cases of such violence has increased recently.
In his speech, Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky noted that today the war carries the threat of an increase in cases of violence in the future. Therefore, now, the Ministry of Internal Affairs must provide all the tools and support to protect the most vulnerable categories of citizens. The Minister expressed concern that there is a misconception in society that domestic violence is a common phenomenon and that it is not time to speak and react to it now and that this problem can be solved after the victory.
“Any violence, and domestic violence in the first place, is unacceptable in a civilized country. Therefore, the launch of the application, when a woman affected by violence can call the police unnoticed and promptly, the systematic work of law enforcement officers with human rights organizations and a focus on public safety will help many Ukrainian families to overcome challenges and strengthen in their family relationships,” said Denis Monas Styrian.
Speaking about the functionality, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Ekaterina Pavlichenko, who was directly involved in the implementation of the project to create the application, explained the basic principles of its work.
“Understanding that a call to 102 can be an additional trigger for the offender. We strive to protect the victim as much as possible, to make help available. For some, our application may become the same “lifeline”. Its main goal is to provide victims, most often women, the opportunity to seek help without calling 102, without the need to speak aloud with the operator, without the need to search for information on the Internet. Safe and fast,” said Kateryna Pavlichenko.
The presented application is “camouflaged” as usual (does not look like an application for calling the police, and does not cause suspicion of the abuser). The main functions of the application become visible only to those who need the help of the police. This concept makes it unnoticeable to the abuser, allowing those affected to install and use it on their phone without fear.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
