Kathmandu, January 27, 2017: NiDARR, a smartphone application has been launched in Nepal to make combating gender-based violence(GBV) easier. Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Mr. Glenn White launched the app amidst a ceremony organized in the capital on Friday.
In Nepal, where 1 in 5 women are violated at least once in their lifetime and 1 in 10 women experience sexual violence, NiDARR is a step forward innovation to maximize the safety of women, girls, boys, and vulnerable groups. The app developed by Ujyalo Foundation allows the users can contact the police and local authorities, and friends and family, along with reporting gender-based violence and setting off false alarm in a distress situation.
Addressing the programme, Ambassador White said that GBV in general and violence against women is unacceptable, anywhere anytime and violence against women is a significant human rights violation that has a profound and devastating impact on its victims, on communities, and society as a whole.
Ambassador White commended the task by Ujyalo Foundation on developing the smartphone application and called on all to help spread the message about the utility of the app.
“Every work we do at Ujyalo is geared towards creating space for women to lead and learn in Nepal,” shared Amuda Mishra, Founder and Executive Director of the Ujyalo Foundation. “We believe that NiDARR is a step forward in creating that space for young women in Nepal, where they can feel safe, and themselves. NiDARR was developed organically, through our own experiences and the experiences of people who we knew,” she said, adding “NiDARR is a medium to fight back violence and not compromise with our safety in any situation.”
“When we started developing the app, we wanted to create a responsive, efficient, and feasible tool where women and girls could report gender-based violence cases without the fear of being retaliated from their perpetrators or being stigmatized form the society. And, NiDARR exactly does that!”she shared with pleasure on being able to launch such an app in Nepal.
Mishra expressed her hope that the app will help individuals to report gender-based violence without fear, stigma, and discrimination. “We believe that with NiDARR, we will be able to mitigate gender-based violence and move towards creating a gender just society for all, along with creating a safe society for women and girls in Nepal,” she said.
NiDARR is packed with features for both everyday safety and real emergencies, making it the ultimate safety tool for you and everyone you love. The app puts safety in YOUR hand – for FREE! NiDARR gives YOU full autonomy in enhancing YOUR safety and preventing violence before it happens. Get started with NiDARR today!
The app is available on Google Play Store and works on Android phones with version 4.1.3 and up.
Download the app to maximize your safety through your smartphone!
Glocal Khabar talked to some notable personalities in the programme. Here is what they have to say about the app:
“I have myself faced and witnessed cases of gender-based violences. One needs to have a courage to make a timely action against such violence happening against them. NiDARR, I hope, will take us one step further in eliminating GBV from our society. Change will surely happen after information about such violences spread through this app.”
Saguna Shah, Lecturer, TU
“Every year the Australian Embassy, Nepal under Direct Aid Program funds for projects having developmental outcomes and providing direct benefits to those most in need in the local community, including vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, women, children and youth. The programme supported NiDARR for its influential impact. The app makes the users aware about cases of gender-based violence, and helps them to combat it. NiDARR is a broader thing than just an app. The whole concept is a movement sensitizing all of the society on stopping violence. But, the app is not solution to everything. It’s a start for the final solution on helping women and girls have a safer life. The various tools available in the app will help to change the society’s values.”
HE Mr. Glenn White, Australian Ambassador to Nepal
“The app is very user-friendly. After a case is reported, an email will be sent to the appropriate response partners. So, we hope that the app will be a very helpful tool to fight the problems of gender-based violence happening in our society and solve them in no time.
Using the app, you can create a safety check in while traveling, and report violence from anywhere in Nepal. The set off false alarm in a distress situation really helps you to protect from gender-based violence before it happens. Users can also access a comprehensible service database of organizations and agencies working against gender-based violence. These organizations are geo-mapped with your current location so organizations closer to your location will appear first in the list. I have hoped that the app will be highly beneficial for all to fight such cases they encounter on regular basis.”
Anish Shrestha, App Developer, Yellow Nepal
