WeSafe

An Application software that aims to reduce public harassment for females with the use of realistic and relevant functionalities, increasing visibility, awareness and reducing ataraxia

As our society and culture progressed, advancements in human life became more evident with standards getting uplifted and rights being established. Education and technology have played an especially crucial role, strictly demarcating the line between ideas of old and new, and ushering in a world with more potential and prospects. Yet, with all this development, with all the advancements of knowledge and ethics, some plague of our society remains ever-present vehemently. And harassment against females remains one of those horrid plagues, especially present in countries where education isn’t so available, and technology is still limited. I live in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A blistering and bustling city, that 10 million people call home. A recent survey shows that up to 87% of females face some form of harassment during their lifetime, and in Dhaka, 64% of females face harassment while on roads and in public spaces. That is, every 3 out of 5 girls in Dhaka have faced harassment. And this is scenario is not exclusive to Dhaka in any way at all, rather in the metropolitan cities of every developing nation, a similar image persists. This may include Delhi (80%), Karachi (55%) , Cairo (99.3%), Mexico City (40%), Lima (90%), etc. Most of the occurrences are in public, where the majority of acts are leering (95%), vulgar gestures(82%), following(68%) , and path blocking (57%). 50% of these victims are targeted for touching and groping, whereas 20% are targeted for Assault. The extent and scale of this plague is encompassing, which has severe and lasting impacts on the victim. 

The reason why metropolitan cities in developing countries boast such a high number of harassment due to a number of reasons. Primarily the influx of a huge population is seen as a cause. Lower levels of education and income are routinely linked to higher rates of crime. Furthermore, superstition, stigma, and discrimination still exist to a large degree in these societies, further exasperating the already dire problem. The cities are laden with improper infrastructure, sprawled areas with sparse populations,s and again dysfunctional areas with overpopulation. Furthermore, a lack of awareness on part of the victims also plays a role. 

The consequences of facing this form of harassment are dire. Already, most females in the cities have lasting and continuous forms of anxiety when it comes to transversing. Facing this form of harassment, or having experienced such an encounter can have impacts both physically and psychologically. Harassment has been linked with higher blood pressure, Chronic Pain, Headache, and sexual dysfunction. Furthermore, Depression, Anxiety, and Post-traumatic stress disorder are also highly relevant.

We believe, by integrating technology into this sector of their life, we can help individuals better understand their surroundings, plot their movement, and become aware. Furthermore, with a vast array of functionalities, we want to make the users not only feel safe but also potentially be able to save themselves in case things do go south. WeSafe strives to create a safer, more equitable society

Our Solution is an application software, that will provide users with the information they need to plot their communication routes in the most secure way possible, and will be equipped with functionalities that will come useful in suspicious situations. These include a notification system, that when activated, notifies the user’s close-knit group of people of their live location. Furthermore, we will try to integrate this system into the home button of the mobile phone, for increased accessibility. Other than that, there will an alarm system, which, when triggered will blast loud noise to attract the attention of passerby. This is especially intended for situations where an individual is unable to speak out or reach for help, in close quarters. 

To deter possible assailants, an immediate fake call system will also be implemented. An attacker/follower is significantly less likely to target an individual if they are on a constant call with someone. One of the key features of the app is a community-based forum, where users can share their experiences, suggestions, and tips, and also find individuals who suffered similar encounters. This not only helps individuals who may have fallen victim to such an encounter but also individuals who have been traumatized by such an event. We are also going to include some general suggestions and manuals here, that can help individuals prepare, understand and evaluate better.

The most important part of our project is the mapping technology, which will use current and historical data, such as populace, crime rate, perspective, and infrastructure, and assign a numerical value to various places, suggesting safe or unsafe. We want to develop this technology more in the coming years so that it becomes more encompassing, efficient, and trustworthy

Our Solution is primarily intended to serve females. However, any individual can avail of its functionalities. The rate of harassment in metropolitan cities has been increasing for a plethora of reasons, as we explored in the first prompt. This has created an increasingly unsafe environment for many, especially women who are targeted in a variety of ways. The impacts of these encounters have lasting consequences on the victims, as explored earlier. Hence, via our project, we aim to reduce the possibility of these encounters as much as possible and help the users get out of danger even when those encounters become prevalent.  Females in cities like Dhaka, Delhi, Cairo, etc have to lead a life where their movement has to be extremely restricted. They often cannot get out at certain parts of the day, which leads to social and economic loss in direct and indirect ways. Furthermore, even when they do get out, many are unaware of which areas to travel through and which areas to avoid, due to an evident lack of clear information. Thus, all of these lead to commuting being an anxious experience for many women. And instances of harassment, on major and smaller scales are prevalent everywhere all the time.

 If a user does get themselves in a tricky situation, they can notify their close group at a moment's notice. Furthermore, they can use the other functionalities we mentioned earlier to get out of that situation. A vast majority of individuals suffer from mental health issues stemming from these encounters. Often time, in more conservative societies, females who suffered from such encounters are stigmatized. They are deemed as “dishonorable” and “undignified”, even when they were the literal victims of a horrid crime. This leads to many individuals never disclosing their cases of harassment, which slowly and eventually turns into severe mental health issues. By being able to talk to people who have had similar encounters, and by sharing their experiences, feelings, grief, and emotion, we believe it may help many to somewhat deal with those traumatizing memories. This is in no way an alternative to therapy, but rather a closer bond because the users share something common between themselves. We believe, our forum and suggestion board can play a good role in this regard, and by continuous development, we want to make this as intuitive as possible. 

Our project strives to create a safer society for females, where they don't have to be anxious when commuting. We believe, potentially, we can have a lot of positive impacts on the lives of these individuals, and hopefully, help many get out of situations where they could have encountered something that leaves a lifelong scar. 

I don’t believe we are the most skilled individuals for this role. As students, we still have a lot to learn, both about managing a large-scale project and about the backend technology that supports it. Yet I believe, our passion and deep desire to try to do something right about a deeply relevant societal problem is what makes us right for this specific project. I started this project because I have experienced my loved ones facing this. I have experienced the fear and anxiety. And all of it seemed ironic, considering how much we “advanced”, in all ways. But those incidents, and hearing about such incidents every day from papers and other media made me think that I should do something. I didn’t know what, and I knew I had to do something. And this project is the culmination of all the research and conceptualizing that took place because of that innate desire to do something. To drive a positive change. 

I have experience in software development, especially having an interest in Artificial Intelligence and Deep learning. I also have an interest for Economics and Business, and I have been affiliated as COO at a construction/real estate startup and board member of health-tech startup. As such, I have had the opportunity to gather relevant experience in managing projects and ensuring R&D. I also have experience with finances, being able to use the right metrics for qualitative/quantitative analysis of a particular organization/firm/project. I believe these, in tandem with my soft skills make me a good fit to execute this project. This project, since its still largely in the concept phase, only has one other person on board. He has experience with app development, having worked at various places. He also has a knack for Artificial Intelligence, having done several independent and group projects in the past. 

We haven’t expanded our team because we didn’t feel the need to yet, and neither do we have the capital required to sustain a professional team. However, as we ramp up development, we have to start building the correct organizational structure, with specific departments like R&D, Marketing and Analytics, Finance and Operations etc. A lot of people have expressed their wish to work with us, and we will start considering the possibility of team expansion soon, given enough resources are accumulated. We also realize the need for diversity on a project like this, and we will keep that in mind as we develop.

The core design of our concept was done by acknowledging the needs of potential users, and so we conducted preliminary surveys and collected data from established results. For the primary data, we talked to about 40 females (most of them between the age bracket of 18-30). We collected some information about harassment cases and events, through an anonymous form because we felt participants would feel comfortable with their identity withheld. But we talked to them about our project in person, or online directly, where we asked them what type of a solution/idea/application may help them in certain situations. Furthermore, we also asked them what were the key issues they faced living in cities like Dhaka. After these brief questions, we talked to them about our project, what it intends to be and what we could potentially change to make it better. 29 participants were very enthusiastic about the idea, saying they would adopt it. 5 were somewhat eager and the rest weren’t very responsive.

Before the preliminary survey, for the collection of secondary data we mostly relied on existing research papers dealing with Feminist HCI. With that data, we formed a general hypothesis and plan, which helped us collect primary data better. Our core concept is based on that data. We have used the feedback we have got, and tried to integrate it in our project, making it encompassing and actually useful. We believe, when we eventually do launch it, we will find success with adoption. Furthermore, we also believe in necessary pivoting, so we will continuously try to improve our concepts as we get more and more data.

Our Solution provides a new approach by integrating a lot of functionalities previous similar projects had. As mentioned earlier, there have been noticeable developments in this sector, especially in recent years, where various specialized projects and applications have cropped up. Some of them focus on sending emergency notifications, some focus on community and awareness, while others are based on alarms/fake calls etc. However, by properly integrating all these in our app, and making the UI intuitive, we believe we boast a proper edge. However, our main unique point is still the technology that we are going to integrate into mapping systems, which will not only help individuals be more aware of their surroundings, and commute through safer areas, but also draw authorities' attention to which areas need more public expenditure in regards to security and infrastructure. We should clarify a bit on the latter point. We believe, by pointing out obvious areas which are extremely unsafe for individuals, we can hold authorities accountable. Our aim is not informing the authorities in regards to these, but holding them accountable as to why these areas aren’t receiving the same level of attention. We believe this has several benefits, both direct and indirect. Directly, obviously crime rates go down in these areas, whereas indirectly, better infrastructure drives social and economical development.

Another thing we didn’t note yet, but believe also is an edge is our sustainability model. This model will be built around our mapping system. After a user is suggested a route, the application will also suggest nearby transportation methods. One of these will (if available) include private transportation systems, like Uber/Pathao/LYFT. Obviously, drivers with a good track record will be suggested. A concern regarding data privacy can be raised, but the control of this data will be wholly with the user. This referral system, not only makes the project sustainable but also helps user find safe, accessible rides and information. More on the sustainability model will follow in later questions. 

We believe our project may inspire other projects as well. And since our core philosophy is helping as many individuals as possible, we see that as a very positive development. Nevertheless, being confident in our own approach and idea, we will also strive to expand our own user base as much as possible. 

We wish to roll out a pilot by the end of this year, with all the functionalities except the mapping technology. We believe that will require an additional 6 months of development, and by mid-2024, with proper assistance, we will launch it fully. The reason for the alpha release is we want to have early adoption, and since community building takes some time, so by the time of beta release, we will already have an active community who have used the app, submitted feedback and helped in the potential pivot. Our goal for 2024, is wholly rigorous development. The reason for an early release is to get active feedback from the community. And as mentioned earlier, we want to be flexible and fluid with our development, implementing what's necessary and cutting down what's redundant for better efficiency. Our most important goal for next year is to have a fully-fledged application that works as intended. As for the impacts of our project, it’s paradoxical to wish for the heavy usage of our emergency functionalities, because we hope no one has to even be in such a situation. However, we hope if users do find themselves in such a situation, that the application is able to help in some way. 

As for the mapping technology goes, we expect heavy usage on it. We hope it helps users plot their route in a more aware yet relaxed manner. Furthermore, we also hope to make commuting a less nervy experience for the users. I believe, rather than usage, adoption is a more important metric for an application like us, and so we have definitive targets for that. We expect 5000 downloads by end of 2024. We are going to start marketing at the 1st quarter of 2024, and believe WOM will also play a significant role. We expect the number of users to grow exponentially, and by 2027, at least 50000 downloads in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet (The major metropolitan cities of Bangladesh). Afterward, we hope to expand to other countries, focusing on South Asia initially. All these are ambitious goals, but by taking small incremental steps toward development, we want to ensure sustained growth over the next few years. 

The Functionalities can be classified into 3 main categories

1. Technology helping in better decision making

• Mapping Technology

• Safety Rating System

1. Technology dealing with direct threats 

• Notification System with Live position

• Fake Calls

• Alarm System

1. Technology dealing with awareness building-

• Community

• Suggestions and tips 

• Guides

Some of these are easier to code than others. The Fake call, Alarm System, and Notification system are functionalities that have been used for a bit of time now, and it won’t take us a lot of time to code them. We are also going to integrate other existing technology, such as google maps, and to improve efficiency. 

Technology dealing with awareness building will be a bit trickier because the community-based forum is basically like a Reddit thread. We are going to primarily rely on React, in conjunction with MERN stack. Tailwind and Firebase will be used for adaptability and cross-functionality. The guides section won’t be tricky, considering it will be very much like blog posts. The hardest part, and arguably the most important part is the mapping technology. We wish to integrate machine learning into this. To briefly summarize, the mapping technology will data from a variety of sources, and use it to assign a safety value to a particular region. Coding the technology itself wouldn’t be the hard part, but rather ensuring proper data collection and formulating the perfect algorithm. Nevertheless, with the coming months, with better insight these hurdles are expected to be solved.

Utmost care will be taken to make the interface intuitive, efficient and accessible. 

After the alpha release (end of 2023), we want to build a community around our application, and by the time of beta release, we want to meaningfully impact at least 2000 users. By the end of 2024, our goal is to impact 5000 users. As noted earlier, we believe adoption is a better metric of growth than usage for a project like this. And so, we estimate growth in the number of users (individuals who have opened a profile). After the beta release, as our mapping technology is launched, we want to really assist at least 1000 users before the end of 2024 routinely. We believe due to proper marketing, this number will increase exponentially, and so by 2027, we want to meaningfully impact at least 50000 people across 5 major metropolitan cities of Bangladesh. We want to keep our target small initially, understand our users better, implement positive pivots and maintain sustained growth.

Adoption stands to be our biggest barrier yet. There have been instances of similar projects in the past, notably “Protibadi” , a project by students of one of the leading universities of Bangladesh. In our knowledge, “Protibadi” has been the only instance of a project centering on Dhaka, however, there has been projects centering Delhi, Cairo etc. However, one of the biggest challenges these projects faced was the lack of adoption by users, which was mostly due to the reason of not having faith in these systems, and thinking of them as redundant. And we believe, this preconceived notion of the users was somewhat justified, given the lack of feedback-oriented development and unintuitive user interface. Our plan is to work on these and constantly implement micro pivots to gain traction. Technically, we still have a lot to learn for the development to work out as we want. But I don’t believe it will stand to be a big problem, given that we are constantly working for this. There are issues related to financing, but it’s not particularly important right now because the development done is self-contained. However, the need for proper financing will be evident in the coming months, as we ramp up development. We are also going to need grants for the first year because we believe our sustainability model will need a bit of time to break through. There aren’t any legal barriers to our project. Culturally, our project will be appreciated, because most of the aware individuals in Dhaka are really concerned about the issue we are trying to solve. This will also increase adoption.

We don't partner with any organization right now. But we are in the process of securing a partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh. The intent of this partnership is to secure better data and the necessary resources to carry on the development

Our project is intended to be a non-profit, to make safety and peace of mind, things that are basic human rights, accessible to everyone. Our business model relies on a potent mix of fundraising/grants and in-built, non-invasive monetization systems. Although we primarily rely on grants, however, given the volatility on such funds, we also decided to work on the in-built monetization system. Now I should clarify how our first medium is supposed to work. Like any other non-profit, our biggest source of revenue would be grants and fundraising events. The primary source of grants is expected to be organizations, financiers, and donors who fund non-profit projects. Our fundraising is primarily based on donations by users. Partnerships are an important source of sustained capital, and so from the get-go we will work on securing partnerships with relevant organizations. The next medium of income is supposed to be from the application itself. Specifically, the mapping technology. When the user has been suggested a specific pathway, they will also be suggested local rides from ridesharing platforms. If they choose to share it, a portion of the transportation cost is to be shared with us. We initially look forward to partnering up with local brands like Pathao, but soon operate in an independent model where taxi, bus etc services are also included in an Amazon Affiliate Marketing-esque model. Obviously, these service providers will be chosen for partnerships after a rigorous background check, to make sure our users feel safe and comfortable.

More on assets, cost and budgeting and change in net assets will follow in the Sustainability question.

A project of this type has more direct impact the more resources it has on hand, and with keeping that in mind, we want to have as much impact as possible, utilizing every bit of resource efficiently. The plateau of sustainability and growth is the steepest right now, given a lack of resources and concrete data. However, my optimism regarding tackling it is quite valid, because of my great resolve and passion for this project. Every day, there are incremental developments and changes. And these developments aren’t mindless. Rather, these are quite oriented and realistic. To go off for a bit, I just got off from a call from a Professor at Melbourne University, who had once worked on a similar project. We discussed how anonymity helps individuals share their experiences, and debated as to what extent anonymity is actually helpful. And this is just one perspective. I talk with stakeholders almost every day, and based on those plans and development. The debate about anonymity will be crucial when the development for the community-based forum starts, and so, all of these different perspectives will play a role. Coming back to the point, our path to sustainability passes through rigorous, continued, and oriented development that listens to the intended user. And I believe, through support from MIT Solve, and other organizations, this project can ascend up that steep hill, and from there it really doesn’t steep anymore. After this block, the project will pick up a lot of steam, and eventually start having the impact it’s desired to have. The main cost of the project is obviously development right now. However, soon as more individuals join the team, Salaries, Benefits are also going to be in the budget. Further expansion will see maintenance, offline site and management added as well. These are the direct costs, and there are always miscellaneous costs coming with maintaining a project. We believe the development right now is steady, but with adequate resources and more expansion, this can really pick up pace. And that’s why we are already pursuing partnering up with a few organizations. Till we have built a proper community, and have good adoption rates, a peer-to-peer donation is unlikely. For the time being, two people (including me) are actively involved in development. This number is expected to rise, with more resources at hand. 

We expect proper sustainability by the year 2026. We wish to be self-sustaining, and since the extent of development will be quite reduced after beta release, the real monetary challenge is only for 2 years now. That’s why, again, the hill is steepest right now, but prospects are much better.