A Safer Walk is a free mobile app dedicated to helping women safely connect with other local women, in any moment, to share: quick walks through questionable parking lots, longer walks home at night from school or work, sharing cabs or public transit, or just getting together for a jog, gym, or some time outside.
While there's endless GPS tracking and check-in apps available, these are reactive and often late in response. A Safer Walk is a proactive and preventative approach, discouraging confrontations and reducing assaults by empowering women with mobile technology that helps organize spontaneous pairs or groups when travelling by foot or shared ride.
The number of Canadian women who have reported their most serious sexual assault experience. ~ Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces
The alarming increase in the annual number of girls and women killed by violence in Canada between 2019 - 2020 ~ Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, 2020
Excluding incidents committed by intimate partners, 39% of Canadian women, aged 15 years and older, reported experiencing at least one physical or sexual assault since age 15. ~ Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces
Troubling Trends For Women
Gender-based violence is an under reported and under supported area of our society, particularly for minorities. With concern, recent statistics indicate the rate of violence against women as on the rise. The numbers suggest women and other vulnerable groups need far more action, support, and resources from local and federal governments, while gaining access to better tools and resources to help proactively avoid confrontations and assaults.
A local walk app for women
A Safer Walk is a network only available to individuals who identify as women.
To set up an account immediately within A Safer Walk's app you must:
- Upload the front of your government identification that verifies an F for sex status;
- Upload an in-app non-smile selfie for your account profile;
- Take an in-app random gesture selfie for verification.
* In-app onboarding process can take between 1-24 hours for approval.
** A Safer Walk is currently restricted to Alberta government identification cards.
A Safer Walk uses uploaded photos to verify identity and gender status for account applicants. This is part of A Safer Walk's KYC protocols that ensure rogue users do not gain access to the walk network.
Once you have an account for A Safer Walk you can immediately start scanning your local area for current Posted Walks by other women in your 1-40 KM range
Or maybe Post A Walk yourself for leaving downtown on foot, sharing a train ride home from work, splitting a cab, or possibly just going for a walk or jog.
What if my identification isn't recognized or accepted by the app?
For applicants that do not have government issued ID recognized by our automated in-app onboarding verification, the Personal Application Review process can be submitted online through the following link.
Posting Walks
When you open A Safer Walk you can immediately create and post a walk with your Start Point, Destination, Departure Time, and Travel Preference (on foot, cab, train, etc.) while still maintaining your anonymity. Depending on your search radius settings, other nearby women can see your posted walk and request to join.
Joining Walks & Standing Walks
A Safer Walk allows women to scan a 1-2 km radius looking for other nearby women posting walks or ride shares (bus, train, Uber, cab). Scanning posted walks, women can only see a user's first name, general departure time and place, along with relative direction and distance (ie. NNW / 15 min walk). User profile images of women posting walks are blurred until both women connecting over a posted walk have Locked The Walk with each other.
Verifying A Walk
Before you say 'Yes' to a walk we always recommend you verify your walk with the other woman in your Walk Chat. This feature prompts both women in chat to perform, and send, an in-app selfie featuring random action commands requested by A Safer Walk. And you only have 60 seconds to snap and send so other women know that is you in real-time.
When you Verify A Walk the app may request: "Send an in-app action-selfie holding your left hand up with three fingers, while closing your right eye, and Send."
A Safer Walk will send you a message in your Walk Chat telling you what actions to expect from the other walkers's action-selfie. If their profile image matches their action-selfie and requested actions, you have far greater certainty knowing who you are about to meet for a walk or shared ride.
Extending your community or campus Safe Walk program
Campus Safe Walk programs can be limited by:
- Dependence on volunteers and resources;
- Physical service ranges (8-10 block radius of campus);
- Only able to serve students / staff / commuters leaving campus, not arriving.
A Safer Walk provides women:
- A free 24/7 online service;
- Driven by women on the go in your community, no volunteers required;
- Potential walk / cab rides / transit commutes going to-and-from destinations;
- A woman-only experience;
- Multiple walk options and scheduled flexibility;
- Ability to connect with other women off-campus (ie. events);
- More focused and direct trips for users avoiding 'milk route' delivery for large walk groups;
- No zero-sum for matching students with walks.
A Safer Walk provides compelling value through proactive and innovative safety solutions.
Learn more about how universities and colleges can use A Safer Walk's Groups features for students.