“Bright Sky” is an encrypted mobile phone application, available on Google Play and App Store, which works in support by providing comprehensive instructions for dealing with incidents of abuse and full information on the relevant support structures to any woman who may be in an abusive environment. The content of the application is of an advisory nature, so that users can make decisions to manage the situation they are in, either themselves or their relatives who are at risk and may need help.
According to data from the World Health Organization, women are by far the most common victims of domestic violence, with one in three worldwide experiencing physical or sexual abuse at least once in their lifetime. Very often, in fact, the victim hesitates to seek help and disengage from the dangerous relationship in which he is. “A fundamental principle of the Vodafone Foundation is that connectivity and technology can answer the great social challenges of our time, in this case domestic violence. Our first goal is for Bright Sky to help in the first place to admit that someone is in an abusive environment and then to encourage victims to seek appropriate help. The signs of abuse are not always visible and Bright Sky is a great ally in their early recognition,” said Maria Skagou, Vice President of the Board of Directors of Vodafone Greece and Ambassador of the Vodafone Foundation. Through a targeted risk assessment questionnaire, the app trains, first of all, users to distinguish the types of abusive behavior in a wide range, from sexual abuse, psychological or financial exploitation to online harassment and stalking, and to assess the risk in which are located.
The application includes a complete telephone directory of all support services in Greece as well as a guide with detailed steps for leaving the abusive environment. In addition, it provides the possibility of storing both notes and other evidence that can be given directly to the police authorities, while there is a built-in button to quickly call the Police, in case of need. The adaptation of the Bright Sky application, which already operates in 10 other European countries, to Greek data and the development of its content was implemented with the valuable cooperation of KMOP – Center for Social Action and Innovation, one of the oldest Non-Profit Organizations with long experience in the field of mental health and the support of vulnerable social groups. The overall scientific supervision of the project was carried out by the Professor of Criminology at the Department of Sociology of Panteion University and an international expert on human rights, Mrs. Vasiliki Artinopoulou, who said: “The Vodafone Foundation’s Bright Sky application is a substantial contribution to the effort to prevent and dealing with domestic and gender-based violence in our country.
It is a risk assessment tool, which is perfectly adapted to the Greek reality and now available at the push of a button to any woman who may be experiencing abuse.” The “Bright Sky” application can be installed on any smartphone, while its entire content is also available on the website www.bright-sky.org in Greek and English.
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