Worldwide, an estimated 1 in 3 women has experienced physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. The most recent data from National Family Health Survey (NHFS-5) also reported that around 29.3% of married Indian women between the ages of 18-49 years have faced domestic violence/ or sexual violence.
The risk of and vulnerability to Gener-based Violence (GBV) increases on account of intersections of gender with sexual orientation, disability, caste, and age. Similarly, GBV risks are known to increase during humanitarian crises such as public health emergencies, natural calamities and conflicts. Today, with the increased use and reliance on technology and digital spaces, we also see the emergence of newer forms of GBV where harm is perpetrated through online spaces. Clearly, GBV is all pervasive and addressing it in all its forms with a particular focus on those with increased vulnerabilities is no longer negotiable.
Leading a life free from violence is a fundamental human right – and one that is critical to advance the realization of other human rights.
The imperative action to address and end GBV is of utmost importance to the Government of India with a focus on establishing One Stop Centres (OSCs) across states for those who are in distress and survivors of violence to avail counseling, medico-legal support and support from police all under one roof. To further strengthen these efforts, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India – in association with technology community, TechGig – launched a Hackathon – Crack the Code to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence.
This hackathon aims to address key problems, knowledge gaps and increase access to services for persons with disabilities experiencing GBV; facilitating anonymous, safe and timely access to those at risk of GBV in humanitarian situations; and mitigating technology facilitated GBV.
The hackathon will crowdsource impactful and innovative ideas and turn them into prototypes for scaling up. The program has three phases: Phase 1 for relevant idea submissions, Phase 2 for selection and mentoring of ideas for prototyping and lastly, Phase 3 to announce the winners.
Registrations are free and open for everyone at https://www.techgig.com/hackathon/crack-the-code-to-prevent-and-address-gbv.
