The worrying truth about going to University in 2015 is that the threat of sexual violence and assault is still a very real problem. This growing culture of sexism on campus was confirmed by a reportreleased earlier this year revealing that 1 in 3 female students in the UK had been victim to sexual assault during their time at University.
Clearly not just a problem singular to UK universities, American college campuses have also seen a rise in sexually related crimes. With this in mind, five students at Michigan University went about creating an App that would work to increase the safety of students on campus.
Companion, the App that’s now available on both iOS and Android, allows you to virtually walk your friends home by tracking the location and movement of their device. By no means a solution to the prevalent issue of sexual assault on campus, but an important step towards creating a safer environment for female students.
The App works by allowing the user to pick a ‘companion’ from their phonebook; this person will then be alerted when the user reaches their destination. The App detects any unforeseen changes in movement, whether the user strays from their route, starts running, or their headphones are pulled out from their phone. The App gives the user 15 seconds to respond to a change before it self-transforms into a handy alarm system, warding off any potential threats. The 21st Century’s answer to pepper spray and rape alarms, this App will without a doubt revolutionise safety on campus.
Users have the option to tell the App, ‘I am nervous,’ at any stage on their journey, and the data from this will hopefully go on be used by Universities to create a safer campus for students. In a week in which the Cabinet Minister Sajid Javid has come out against the increase in sexist culture in Universities, this new App will do much to improve the experience of female students on campus.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.