Minister Ambrose Salutes New Mobile App that Will Increase Women's Safety
April 26, 2013,
VANCOUVER, BC — The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, today applauded the launch of the SOS Response personal safety smartphone app.
"The Harper Government is committed to ending violence against women and girls in communities across Canada," said Minister Ambrose. "This new mobile app is a hands-on, innovative approach to preventing violence against women and girls."
EVA BC, SOS Response and Telus partnered to create this new app, which is a personal, monitored alarm system for girls and women.
"The SOS mobile monitored alarm app is an easy-to-use, cost-efficient tool that will increase safety for women across Canada who are fleeing violence," said Tracy Porteous, Executive Director of EVA BC. "The program is also a great example of community and business working together in the most positive of ways."
When the user indicates she is in distress, the app automatically sends images (30 photos in 30 seconds), GPS location and other valuable information to a live, professionally monitored station. A trained operator at the station then assesses the situation and dispatches emergency responders to the user's location.
Pertinent information about the women using the personal safety app will be logged into the 24/7 monitoring system managed by Securiguard. For women who are deemed high risk, this could include protection orders, specific threats and other critical information that will help both the police and the victim. The app is being piloted in communities in British Columbia.
The Harper Government is committed to supporting projects that yield concrete results for women and girls in Canada while strengthening families, communities and the country. The Harper Government has increased funding to the women's program to its highest level in Canadian history, funding over 600 projects across Canada since 2007.
In 2011, EVA BC received funding from Status of Women Canada to team up with the BC Lions Football club to create Be More Than a Bystander, a groundbreaking three-year project aimed at helping people understand that everyone has a role in breaking the silence around violence against women.
