Nontsikelelo Qulo

Safe Space is a female run and owned non-profit company that aims to fight gender-based violence through social awareness generated through user-based incident reporting. The founders Chloe Homer and Nakita Naee’lah Dellwaria, have both experienced gender based violence in their lives and are working towards helping other women like themselves; as well as prevent others from suffering the same fate. With the aid of the website they aim to create social awareness. To create safe spaces in the mind, homes and in society.

The website safespacersa.com allows users to report incidents like verbal, physical and sexual harassment. The frequency of the reports made by users regarding a certain location, then helps identify whether these places could be identified as gender based violence hotspots and whether it is safe for other women and children to be around.

The website also provides users with access to other organisations that could assist victims of gender based violence with reporting incidents. It has contact details of safe houses, rape and crisis centres; and psychological help centres.

Homer, said that though this may be costly for users as they need data to use it, it is also one of the ways they were sure to receive the most attention. “We understand that this may cost a lot of our users data, which is the reason we’re trying to get network providers on board so that we can have data free zones on our website,” she said.

Members of the public were delighted to be a part of this experience, Jess Winsper said on the Safespacersa Instagram page; “So honoured to be a part of something so amazing which is going to make such an impact in the fight against GBV.”

Picture: southerncourier.co.za