Punjab govt’s Women Safety app to be launched today

LAHORE: The Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit in collaboration with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority and the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) will launch the Women Safety Smart Phone Application today.

The smartphone application developed by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority includes a special button for women’s safety that provides access to the PCSW helpline (1043), SMU’s Women-on-Wheels campaign, and the Police, and allows users to avail an option to mark unsafe spaces. The launch will be attended by government officials and members of civil society.

In regards to the launch of the app, Law and Order Special Monitoring Unit Head Salman Sufi said that the Punjab Government is keen to launch the Women’s Safety app to ensure that women have an effective platform to report incidents of harassment.

The Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Chairperson Fauzia Viqar added that the application includes a button connecting the application with the Punjab Women’s Helpline that provides information on available laws and services for women and to address complaints of inaction or discrimination by other government institutions.

PSCA Chief Operating Officer Akbar Nasir Khan stated that the application would make it easier for women to report harassment any time and will also be available offline.

The application will allow women to notify the Police Integrated Command Control and Communication (PPIC3) officials regarding the kind of harassment they are subjected to along with their exact geographic location.

The law enforcement agencies would dispatch a team of first responders to immediately tackle the situation upon receiving the notification.

The app has been designed to allow women to report any experiences that render the public space unsafe.