Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit in collaboration with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority and the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) will the launch the Women Safety Smart Phone Application on 4th January 2017.
The smart phone application developed by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority includes a special button for Women’s Safety that provides access to PCSW helpline (1043), SMU’s Women-on- Wheels campaign, the Police and allows users to avail an option to mark unsafe spaces. The launch will be attended by government officials and members of the civil society.
Chief of Special Monitoring Unit, Salman Sufi said that the Punjab Government is keen to launch the Women’s Safety Smart Phone Application to ensure that women have an effective platform to report incidents of harassment.”
The Punjab Commission on the Status of Women-Chairperson Fauzia Viqar added that the application includes a button connecting the application with the Punjab Women’s Helpline that provides information on available laws and services for women and to address complaints of inaction or discrimination by other government institutions. She assured women and girls of support from the Government of Punjab to protect their safety in public spaces.
The PSCA Chief Operating Officer, Akbar Nasir Khan, stated that the application will make it easier for women to report harassment at all hours and will also be available offline.
The Smart Phone Application will allow women to notify the Police Integrated Command, Control and Communication (PPIC3) officials regarding the kind of harassment they are subjected to along with their exact geographic location.
The law enforcement agencies will dispatch a team of first responders to immediately tackle the situation upon receiving the notification. The App has been comprehensively designed to allow women to report any experience that renders the public space unsafe. The Punjab Safe Cities Authority, Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit and Punjab Commission on the Status of Women are working in their respective areas to make Punjab a safer province for women. SMU’s Women-on- Wheels campaign alongside being the first government-sponsored initiative to provide free motorcycle trainings to women, also raises awareness regarding street harassment. The Government of Punjab is taking steps to provide secure spaces for women’s safety through various initiatives.
