WASHINGTON – A new national competition has been launched to develop an app that provides young adults with tools to prevent sexual assault and dating violence.
The Apps Against Abuse challenge was launched recently by Vice President Joe Biden, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
“Just as technology is changing the way young people communicate with each other every day, it’s also changing the way young people can protect themselves and their friends from becoming victims of sexual violence,” said Vice President Biden in a statement. “This challenge is a chance to empower a new generation to take a stand against violence.”
[See also: HHS unveils 10-year goals for disease prevention, launches challenge for app developers.]
Young women aged 16-24 experience the highest rates of rape and sexual assault, while one in five will be a victim of sexual assault during college. Many of these assaults occur when the offender, often an acquaintance, has targeted and isolated a young woman in vulnerable circumstances.
According to the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, sexual violence has steep emotional and financial consequences. Sexual abuse results in significant lost work productivity with fifty percent of victims having to quit their jobs or being forced to leave their jobs in the year following their assault due to the severity of their reactions, reported NAESV. The alliance also reported that in 2008, sexual violence and abuse resulted in up to $750 billion in total healthcare costs.
Through the Apps Against Abuse challenge, developers will be charged with creating an easy-to-use application that provides a way for young women to designate trusted friends, allies or emergency contacts and provide a means for checking-in with these individuals in real-time, particularly in at-risk situations.
The winning application will also provide quick access to resources and information on sexual assault and teen dating violence, as well as where to go for help.
[See also: Race is on for iPhone-like health IT apps.]
“Everyone has a role to play in the prevention of violence and abuse,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement. “This application can be another way to encourage young women and men to take an active role in the prevention of dating violence and sexual assault.”
"We want to tap into the creativity of the American people to empower women who wish to communicate distress in a trusted and immediate way," said U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra.
