App for rape victims to call for help

A mobile phone application piloted in Pretoria last year could assist rape survivors in confidentially evaluating the assistance received from institutions meant to support them.

South Africa has high rates of sexual violence, with 51 895 cases having been reported to the police in 2016, equivalent to 143 cases per day.

There are also known to be significant gaps in services to rape survivors and significant variations in practice.

The methodology and scope of the application was presented on the second day of the eighth South African Aids Conference being held at the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban yesterday.

Describing the app, Nomsa Mahlalela from the Foundation for Professional Development said that because it ran on USSD, it required no installation and left no message trail should a shared phone be used.

The application also required no data due to its front-loading capacity. It allowed survivors’ ratings on domains of satisfaction (staff, services, physical environment, information and advice). Care providers could in turn use the app to rate police and court services.

Participants in the pilot study showed a keen interest to participate in confidential surveys about quality of post-rape care services received, using the proposed USSD app, which provided quick feedback, according to Mahlalela.

The survey used 140 respondents from rape care centres. Most respondents were between 18 and 29 years old and showed a high level of comfort using social media. – ANA