SafeUP app makes solo travelling safer for women

The SafeUP app is developed and run by a community of women interested in helping to keep each other safe from street harassment, domestic violence, and when travelling abroad.

Membership within the platform currently works on three levels. First are its users – women who have completed several verification steps to create their official profile within the app. The approval process is thoroughly designed to prevent fake profiles from joining.

Each user has the option to activate or deactivate location tracking on the app, so they can have full control over when their movements are being logged.

When active, individuals can contact a second team of women in their area – referred to as guardians – who will meet and accompany them when they’re feeling unsafe in public. This could be at a bus stop or even in a restaurant or bar.

These guardians are not people the user will know personally, but they are verified members of SafeUP. These guardians will have completed training and agreed to be available at any time to help women in need in their area.

Finally, a wider team of community managers handle administrative processes, such as training sessions, meetings for guardians, and when necessary, communication with local authorities.

At present, there are SafeUP communities in 38 countries around the world and the app continues to grow. But its biggest limitation lies in the limited availability of guardians offering aid in certain areas.

Women willing to participate on any level are encouraged to sign up online to help make their cities safer.

For many, accepting that safety in public is not guaranteed has been the standard our entire lives. One Redditor asked women what they would choose to do in a world without men for 24 hours. The answers? Pretty simple things.

‘I would go camping alone and sleep under the stars by a campfire.’

‘I would love to just walk around my city at night, listening to music, enjoying the evening, for as long as I want without feeling afraid.’ One simple answer said, ‘Feel safe.’

Based on current rates of violence towards women, doing these things in today’s world might feel far too utopian for the majority.

Still, it is wonderful to see initiatives such as SafeUP cropping up across all continents to get us closer to one day making them a reality.