While Domestic Violence Awareness Month may have just recently ended, thanks to the new app Aspire News you don’t have to look much further than your phone in order to get information on domestic violence.
On the outside, the app appears like to be just any other app. Even once it has been opened it appears to be just another news app. It is only once the user accesses the “Help” option on the sidebar that the app’s real features become apparent. Under this help section, the app transforms into a page dedicated to domestic violence awareness. Here, Aspire News allows the user to set up a list of trusted contacts in case of an emergency. It also accesses information on domestic violence, including steps on how to leave an abusive relationship.
In addition, in the “Get Help” section of the app there is a list of resources for those in abusive relationships, including the number for various hotlines as well as information on nearby women’s shelters. In this way, the app is also a useful tool for those who know someone in an abusive relationship.
However, in order to receive help in an immediate situation, the user doesn’t even need to access the app’s hidden features. If the user becomes concerned for their safety they simply have tap the app’s title bar three times from anywhere on the app. This action causes a prewritten or recorded message of the user’s choice to be sent out to their trusted contacts list. In this way, users are able to send for help covertly with little risk of their abuser being aware of them doing so. This message can even be set up to be sent to 911 as a prerecorded audio message, however it important to remember that this App is not a replacement for calling 911 if a user is in immediate danger.
If you are interested in gaining more information about domestic violence or hope to help in any way, the local Williamsburg women’s shelter, Avalon, can help.