The Sorority is an app and online community, gathering over 80 000 members worldwide, that aims to help women and gender minorities protect each other. The new app is free of charge and available for download in French, English, and Spanish.
The app allows anyone who feels an immediate danger at home, in the streets or in public transportation (as a witness or a victim), to rapidly send a discreet alert to the community. Any member of the community receiving the alert is able to help, either by getting in contact with the caller and offering assistance if they are close-by, geolocate them to keep them company or call the authorities if needed. The app also provides a list of emergency numbers and a distress message to display on the screen to discreetly ask someone for help.
These tools were created with the objective to reduce the gravity of the potential assaults by destabilising and distracting the attacker, shifting the “freeze” response that often hinders victims’ reaction onto the assailant, diminishing the bystander effect by involving a community of witnesses, or alerting the authorities more quickly.
To prevent the risk of fake profiles, each member’s registration is manually verified and approved with a real-time selfie and picture of their ID. In compliance with EU’s data protection regulations (GDPR), the data is deleted from the platform following the profile’s approval or refusal. If a profile is identified as a potential threat by the community, the individual is immediately banned, and an internal investigation evaluates the risk before the profile is permanently deleted.
One minute after giving the alert, 10 contacts on average are mobilised, and reach out through phone calls and chat interactions. The app has received positive feedback from users, with 93.9 percent saying it makes them feel safer when they are alone.
It has also been awarded the 2022 and 2023 People’s Choice Award, at the United Nations Women France Génération Égalité Voices festival.
The Sororiety was created by a nonprofit organisation to address violence against women and gender minorities.
For more information visit the official website here.
