Reactor – Research in Action is pleased to announce the launch of the new online platform React!, under the motto Share a Story, Prevent Violence, and with the ultimate goal of making public spaces in Skopje safer for women. The platform is part of a scoping study that researches Violence against Women in Public Spaces in Skopje, carried out by Reactor and supported by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
React! is an online mapping tool that women and girls can use to anonymously share their stories of any form of gender-based violence that they have been subjected to or witnessed in public spaces in Skopje. In addition to this, the platform will be used as a crowdsourcing tool to help us collect otherwise difficult to acquire data on harassment and violence against women, which occurs much more often than is reported. Finally, by collecting data in the form of stories, pictures and videos, React! will provide a social network dedicated to the prevention of gender-based harassment and violence in public spaces.
Incorporating these three aspects, we expect that the platform will be of use to an array of users, from the victims who will be able to share their experiences anonymously, to law enforcement authorities who can use the anonymously collected data to identify high-risk locations, as well as frequency and types of violence that women are faced with and take appropriate actions.
The website itself uses the user-friendly and open source Ushahidi platform and is available in Macedonian, Albanian and English. Personal or eye-witness accounts can be submitted using the Android and iPhone apps (which can be downloaded from the website), or by filling out the form provided at the following link: http://www.react-besafe.mk/reports/submit
In order to make the platform as effective as possible, we need to reach out to as many potential users as possible, so we kindly ask you to share this with the women in your networks, or to submit a story yourself. In addition to this, we welcome your feedback, comments or suggestions on how to improve the user experience of the platform and we look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you for taking the time to read about React! and I invite you to visit and share the web site at the following link: www.react-besafe.mk