Sexual assault awareness using collected and analyzed data

There is growing interest in the myriad of ways in which digital technologies are being leveraged to support the work of individuals and organizations in creating awareness on sexual assault. Increasingly, as these technologies become more available around the world, including to diverse users in the global south, they are being deployed in a range of innovative ways to prevent and respond to violence. (Malhotra, 2000).

The mobile and internet-technology based interventions featured in this blogpost make use of applications that combine a number of different objectives, from mapping violence to gathering data, using data gathered to advocate for change and providing survivors with access to essential information and support. More broadly, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) are also being used to access support from a community of peers, raise awareness of the violence faced by women amongst their families or communities, use social media forums to monitor and evaluate interventions, and measure their impact.

Sexual violence is a major public health and social problem in Nigeria and worldwide. Unfortunately, little is known about the effectiveness of collected data regarding sexual assault to help in deterring future sexual violence (Uwom Eze 2013). Rape prevalence estimations are faced with methodological challenges and definition differences used by various studies. However, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) studies, it is estimated that between 14%-25% of adult women worldwide have been raped during their lifetime.

Sexual assault is a difficult subject for many people to talk or even think about, according to the International Centre For Investigative Reporting (ICIR), in an article written by Kunle Adebajo, it is an unfortunate reality for the approximately 2,000,000 people who are sexually assaulted in Nigeria every year and efforts are being made to create awareness on it. April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and April 7 is the designated day of action. These campaigns exist as a means to raise awareness of sexual assault in the world, so that people not only begin to think about sexual assault and its implications, but start doing something about it, as well.

The need for better collection of data related to violence against women has been recognised by the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe and by the United Nations (UN) in their commitment to eradicate violence against women.

Therefore to plan an intervention, data needs to be collected using a tool that has benefits such as :

A user-friendly interface
Data collection, security and encryption, therefore promoting privacy
Ability to collect data with or without the internet
Instant analysis and feedback of collected data
Integration and comparison of previously gotten data
Enabling the export of collected data to DHIS2 for analysis, which will definitely go a long way in data collection and analysis for strategy development, monitoring and evaluation.

The aforementioned features describe the data collection and analysis tool Datakojo, developed by eHealth4everyone. It is a flexible, yet sophisticated mobile data collection platform used for surveys, research, and supervision while facilitating planning, monitoring and evaluations. Datakojo is your reliable tool for developing a sexual assault awareness program in your community or country. Information collected on sexual assault can be used as evidence to foster multi-sectoral collaborations, awareness promotion, capacity building, surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, in areas like:

Social media footprint tracking for at-risk individuals, using keywords.
Quick response system for identified users of chosen keywords
Implementing the World Health Organisation (WHO) LIVE-LIFE approach to suicide assault awareness.
Prompt identification and follow up of victims of sexual assault.