USC MSSE Project
BeeSafe BeeWare
INTRODUCTION:
At BeeSafe we believe that every woman should have options to personalized care after experiencing trauma. BeeSafe assists women in the process of reporting a sexual violence incident. There are over 16,000 reports a month nationally and some incidents go unreported due to shame, self-blame, fear, among a plethora of many other reasons (RAINN). Rape crisis centers (RCCs) around California currently offer rape crisis advocacy to survivors, and accompaniments for Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) forensic exams at hospitals, and reporting at police stations. However, these RCCs currently only respond to survivors if they, 1) dial a hotline number to connect with an advocate, and/or 2) a survivor walks into a RCC and asks for help directly. These methods are limited depending on geographic location, and are not accessible to all women. Centers currently lack the innovation needed to assist women in crises through other mediums like mobile apps, chat/messenger options, and GPS activated support ecosystems.
Crisis centers in Los Angeles include:
Peace Over Violence
Rape Foundation
NODVLA
Rape Treatment Center
At BeeSafe, our goal is to create a software system that RCCs can use in Los Angeles County. Women will be able to report sexual violence incidents through a downloadable app. If a survivor needs support and advocacy, they can connect with their local RCC (based on GPS location) at the push of a button. We provide options for survivors: advocacy through text, voice messaging, and video messaging. In addition to advocacy, BeeSafe also provides an easy way for survivors to report an incident directly with their local police station, if the survivor is ready, and receive personalized care and resources. BeeSafe is a universal advocacy and reporting system that will collect data with accuracy.