UAE: New Mobile App will Help Abuse Victims

Abuse falls into several categories, such as emotional, physical and mental abuse. Considering the fact that the UAE is recognizing women, their efforts and their rights, a mobile application will be launched by the Shamsaha organization in the UAE to support abuse victims, the vision is that 4,000 women could use the application by the organization by the end of 2022.

Shamsaha, is a Bahraini-based non-profit organization, that offers 24X7 crisis support for victims of abuse and domestic violence, will be launching the app there before rolling it out in the UAE by the third quarter of 2021.

The app will include information and resources on women’s health to educate women and raise awareness, as well as it will provide tools for victims of abuse and the public, It will also streamline scheduling and communication between over 100 volunteers, as well as the registration of events and workshops.

Through the mobile app, victims of domestic abuse in the GCC will have available to them, for the first time ever, a full scale 24/7 women’s crisis advocacy program that offers emotional and logistic support along with information and resources, said Mary-Justine Todd, Shamsaha Founder and Executive Director.

Shamsaha is now looking to expand its services and on-ground operations to the UAE as well as KSA, Oman, and Kuwait. The move comes after the non-profit organization received Dh1.24 million from L’Oréal Fund for Women to support its mission in protecting, advocating and empowering women in the GCC.

“The global average is 1 out of every 3 women experience abuse during their lifetime, which means hundreds of thousands of women in the region stand to potentially benefit from the type of support offered by Shamsaha,” Todd said. With the support of L’Oréal Fund for Women, Shamsaha aims to benefit 4,000 women by end of 2022, she added.

“For victims of abuse, the app will provide 24/7 emotional, logistical and informational support. For Shamsaha’s volunteer crisis advocates, the app will streamline the experience for our volunteers for the general public, she also added the app provides information and resources regarding women’s health, women’s organizations, laws and legislation, and survivor support tools for victims.