Digital Citizenship through the Use of Crowdsourced Data: Mapping Sexual Violence in Public Spaces.

Abstract

This chapter examines how crowdsourced data of women’s experiences of sexual violence in public spaces can aid the search for local solutions by engaging communities and institutional service providers, such as the police. The data provide a basis for creating a space for dialog based on insights gained from understanding the patterns and trends that are location-based, and they are great tools for enhancing digital citizenship. The chapter further illustrates the potential willingness of communities and local authorities to participate in solutions and describes the importance of storytelling and digital citizenship in this context. The chapter highlights the work done by non-profit Red Dot Foundation, in India together with partners in Kenya and Nepal. The chapter concludes by asserting that crowdmapping is a multifaceted tool, which makes women aware of potentially dangerous locales. Crowdmapping empowers women to report incidents that help keep others safe, and provide a source of data to advise on best practices for avoiding street harassment and assault in public spaces. This chapter supports the Global Framework for Media and Information Literacy Cities (MIL cities) by demonstrating how the Safecity website and mobile application tools support the creative dissemination of knowledge, media literacy, and empowerment of women and girls to enhance place-based community safety