Can Apps Help Women Avoid Sexual Assault?

by SodaHead News Posted 2011/11/04 13:00:00

Related Topics: Sexual Assault, Apps Against Abuse, Onwatch, Circle Of Six, Rape, Live, Mom, Winner, Free, Sexual, dating, College, Emergency, United States

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	Yes	338 votes	47%
	No	379 votes	53%

Apps can do just about everything these days. They've got apps that tell you exactly how much to tip, apps that interact with toys, apps that tell you how to get in shape... They've even got a Mom App. Now, thanks to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, women have two apps that are supposed to protect them from potentially dangerous situations.

The two apps, called Circle of Six and OnWatch, were selected as the winners of the Apps Against Abuse program. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced the Apps Against Abuse program in July as a way of encouraging app developers to create apps that could be used to protect women against the threat of assault or rape.

Circle of Six is a simple two-touch app that allows users to quickly and discreetly contact one of six friends in the case of an emergency. One touch selects the friend, while the other selects an appropriate pre-written message, such as "Come and get me. I need help getting home safely." Circle of Six also includes a shortcut to the Love Is Not Abuse helpline, which specializes in teen dating abuse.

The second winning app, OnWatch, is a little more complex. In addition to offering a quick-list of emergency contacts, OnWatch includes a shortcut for 911, campus safety (if the user lives on a college campus), and even a "Panic" button that simultaneously calls 911 and sends messages and GPS locations to all of the user's emergency contacts.

Sound like a good deal? Well, you'll have to wait. The apps will not be officially released until early next year. But they will be free. And in case you're wondering: There were 33 entries in the challenge, and the winners did not receive a prize.

+22

Add a comment above

sammanilla 2011/11/04 16:26:04

No

+24
women should have a firearm and the will to use it.

>> See Replies

More polls by SodaHead News

Grim So... to EdWhite... 2011/11/09 03:36:39

HAHAHAHA!

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india124 2011/11/07 13:49:47

No

+5
ok for one thing apps load slowly so by the time it loads the assault/rape would be finished already and the woman would already be dead or unconscious....what good it that? and like the guy is really gonna let you take out your phone right in the middle of him "doing it"....really its just dumb

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Jermaine Pollard 2011/11/07 13:48:52

No

+5
By the time you unlock your phone, start the app, and wait for it to load it will be to late.

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hasher 2011/11/07 13:46:09

Yes

+1
i think they will be useful. it cant hurt and its one more tool to use. i carry a small knife with me myself i really should take a self defense course.

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Jerry Corbitt 2011/11/07 13:44:02

No

+4
What a rediculous waste of money. All this toy can do is give false security to anyone gullable enough to wast their time with it. Rape happens in a blinding instant. What rapist is going to give you fair warning to use this piece of crap and then wait around until your pals or the police show up. A woman is a lot safer with a licensed handgun and good training. Get a reliable pistol ladies and learn how to use it. take responsibility and live...

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hasher to Jerry C... 2011/11/07 13:48:44

+1
yeah but its free and if if keeps one person from getting hurt then whynot? i would have it along with my gun. actually i carry a knife.

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Jerry C... to hasher 2011/11/08 15:44:18

I would agree that the app can't do any real harm other than to take up valuable space on your phone and give a person false security. I do find it admirable that you are taking some responsibility for your own safety. Tactically speaking, I personally do not want to have to get close enough to an assailant who may be stronger than I am in order to employ an edged weapon. Defence against a knife attack is much easier than defending against a bullet. I will never forget the look on the face of the man who pulled a knife on me and demanded my wallet when I leveled the bore of my .45 on him. It's much like looking into the opening of a drain pipe to anyone looking directly at it. A big bore pistol is and always will be the single most speedy way to instantly change the mind of any individual who is intent on doing you harm. . I still say, learn tactical awareness, get a reliable handgun, learn how to use it and practice with it until it become a natural motor memory action, and until you can hit your target consistently where it counts, while you are under stress, and you will stand a chance of surviving a violent assault... God bless and be safe....

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Jill 2011/11/07 13:43:54

No

+4
It's a nice idea, but hardly effective. Many assaults are more spontaneous than that. How would one tell their attacker to just hold tight so they can use their app to tell a friend or hit the panic button?

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Torchmanner ~PWCM~JLA 2011/11/07 13:43:27

No

+4
And how long does the victim have to wait until help arrives?

It would be better to be proactive, be armed with a tazer or mace.

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SW 2011/11/07 13:43:17

Yes

+1
I thought it was "An App For Sexual Assault" like you could use the app to commit sexual assault somehow... what you just turn it on then slap someone's ass with the i-phone?

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joker23 2011/11/07 13:42:40

No

+3
The only APP women need is that nice a little .38 in a pouch on their purse. Shoot first and ask questions later. The best defense is a good offense. If these pigs want to bother women, what is needed..besides the death penalty for rape and sexulal assault, is the fear that their victim is armed. All it will take is a few of these animals to get shot in the process of an assualt and they'll think twice before trying it. There is no question that a good APP that has a built in GPS and a panic button and that summons police and sounds a shrill alarm would help. There are frequencies that can drive you insane, make an app with that.

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Chloe Anon 2011/11/07 13:39:40

Yes

+1
I think it is a good idea, and even if it only helps one person, it is still a person helped which is better than nothing, so I'd say it's a good idea :-) x

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Temlakos~POTL~PWCM~JLA~☆ 2011/11/07 13:39:12

Yes

+2
The "On Watch" program is best of all. It allows you to build your own escape-and-rescue network. It would be rather neatly adaptable for alerting your trusted friends only.

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dandieselonian 2011/11/07 13:29:05

Yes

it might just help reduce the incident rate

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WilliePierce 2011/11/07 13:28:25

Yes

+2
Even if it prevents 1 they are worth their place on iTunes

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Greys 2011/11/07 13:26:21

No

+5
If these apps load as slowly as most of the ones I have when you start them up, they're not going to do much good. And simply calling someone won't save the victim very fast. That's like standing in a burning building and choosing to wait for the fire department to come and get you (after you call them) rather than trying to get out yourself.

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iamparrot 2011/11/07 13:24:27

No

+5
A "Lady's size" .38 and a woman trained and willing to use it is the best deterrent. Anyone willing to rape/assault a woman that way deserves to have his nuts shot off.

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he in t... to iamparrot 2011/11/07 13:47:58

+1
but you would have to keep it in your purse. And actually be able to get to it. I mean i'm no rapest so dont take my imput wrong. i have a wonderful fiance and i want her to be safe always. but i would not want her carrying around a weapon. I would much rather she know how to defend herself. Now while i dont disagree with the nuts thing i think it would be better if the criminal involved was incompasitated and arrested then sent to jail for a good 5-10 years. And i also think that an auto 911 dialer on a phone is not a bad thing.

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eve 2011/11/07 13:21:49

No

+1
How ? Someone please explain for me

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ocean of the south 2011/11/07 10:16:47

No

+3
People adapt too quickly to technology

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SANTARII to ocean o... 2011/11/07 13:46:06

+1
What's wrong with adapting to technology?

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ocean o... to SANTARII 2011/11/07 17:22:28 (edited)

Hackers, identity theft ECT.. every advancement in technology is good but leads to something destructive.. I make a gun,you make a bulletproof vest,i make armor piercing rounds, you find a bacteria that eats away cancer,i use the same bacteria (with a few changes thanks to technology) and now it eats flesh and causes blindness and loss of motor functions. We adapt too quick in the sense that by the time its useful someone already has an Idea on how to counter it

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NYCbrit 2011/11/07 06:24:27

No

+3
Not unless the woman had the app open & at the ready at all times. In other words, unrealistic.

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Any to NYCbrit 2011/11/07 14:27:42

+2
This is a good point but around campus most girls who own pepper spray walk with it in their hand at night - I think the app would be used the same way, open and ready.

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kobidobidog 2011/11/07 05:40:43

No

+2
When will human animals learn, kill, and lose an infinite gift. it is not worth it. Whatever a human does will be judged on the last day. Have a man have sex with you when you don't want it is not your eternal problem. It is the problem to they one who had sex with you when you did not want it. It is the reverse of what you think. Humans don't know that, and keep doing bad, and the police don't help at all.

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joker23 to kobidob... 2011/11/07 13:47:55

+2
What? Live as a victim? Clearly you have fallen for the whine of the eternal victim. Shoot the SOB in the chest, then in the face and finally in the groin. Forget Judgement Day punish now!

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kobidob... to joker23 2011/11/10 21:56:39 (edited)

You act like we live forever, we don't. What a human plants that will be what grows in his garden. Plant revenge seeds, and get revenge plants attaching you. It is get what you want to give. Once to live, and then the judgment. You think like a devil. A devil has faith that they will end up being ashes, but have no good works. Such is you at this point in time. Repent,and change that.

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wgossett99 to kobidob... 2011/11/07 15:46:56

While I definitely do not agree with all the gun-totters here, YOUR remarks are crazy. Screw this eternal soul crap. Fight with whatever means you have to defend yourself and kill the bastard if you can.

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kobidob... to wgossett99 2011/11/10 22:03:02 (edited)

The killer will lose an eternal gift without price. Do you want to lose the greatest gift anyone could get like a brightly wrapped gift under a Christmas tree? To not want it would be to do what no human would do,and that is destroy it before that package is even unwrapped, and yet that is what humans do to the gift God wants to give thinking just like you do. It says you are an advocate. An advocate for what KKK vigilantism?

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AmyLeeLuv 2011/11/07 05:12:50

Yes

possibly

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Lucy 2011/11/07 05:03:51

Yes

OnWatch sounds better. The other is stupid, because your friends could not help you or get there soon enough. I would suggest good old bear spray.

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Winnel 2011/11/07 03:32:01

No

+5
Not like a 9 mm

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Keen Tojones 2011/11/07 01:31:33

No

+2
It can get help on the way, I suppose. Avoidance isn't always possible.

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Rhio2k 2011/11/07 00:44:07

No

+5
No. Brains enough to not be hanging around guys they don't know and not get drunk in a room full of strangers WILL...but most young women can double for the Scarecrow in The Wizard Of Oz.

When I wear a see-through t-shirt, guys stare and I just feel hurt
And just a bit ashamed
I just want to go get wasted and not wake up moist and gang-basted
If I only had a brain

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TXGirl to Rhio2k 2011/11/07 13:19:33

+6
If only YOU had a brain, you moron. Those are not the only ways to be in danger. Many women get raped by intruders in their homes. Or out for a jog, or out in their vehicles doing shopping or running errands. You're just being a jerk.

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Ms. Texas to TXGirl 2011/11/07 14:40:20

+1
He is right. Think about it. All of the college girls who are raped in dorm rooms, or Natalie Holloway who went off with three strangers, or the stripper who cried rape at the Duke party. A naked girl in a room full of drunk college guys. What did she think was going to happen? He is not saying ALL attacks are of the Wizard of Oz nature, he is just saying a lot of them are and that many could be prevented if girls would just think. Assault is never right, but don't go walking through bad parts of town day or night, don't get drunk with strangers or go off with them just because you are on vacation, stay with your friends - be smart.

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Kayla N... to Rhio2k 2011/11/07 13:56:55

Most rapes occur in the victims home by someone they know. rape has nothing to do with sex, it is a violent crime and is never, ever the victims fault, no matter how see through her shirt is our how drunk she is.

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Rhio2k to Kayla N... 2011/11/08 11:00:48

+1
Everyone is responsible for their own safety. Period. A lot of bad things wouldn't have happened to people of both genders if they just got a clue and got the hell out of there.

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Suzie A... to Kayla N... 2011/11/08 20:24:35 (edited)

Go read the post by Jacqueline Thurbridge on this thread. It's about one page >> back>> I'm dying to see how you justify the girls actions and blame the innocent guy for her actions and devastating LIES.

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Rhio2k to Suzie A... 2011/11/09 00:19:03

There are some things what I said can't cover, of course. Only a fool would assume one solution works in every situation.

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