Bucks has recently started promoting “Circle of 6”, a new “White House approved” app designed specifically to help people facing the threat of sexual violence or harassment by giving easy access to friends or emergency services.
One in five women is sexually assaulted while in college, according to a White House press release. Tech 4 Good, a mobile app developer, hopes to change this statistic by giving students an easy tool to help reduce instances of sexual violence.
Their free app, called “Circle of 6,” connects users, who find themselves in an uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situation, to trusted friends and safety resources.
“Most often, it happens during her freshman or sophomore year. In the great majority of cases, it’s by someone she knows – and also most often, she does not report what happened. And though fewer, men, too, are victimized,” said the White House report.
Earlier this month, Bucks promoted “Circle of 6” in an event hosted by Counseling Services to introduce students to the app and help them understand how it works.
This app allows you to easily contact all six friends in your circle with a text message stating “Come and get me,” and they will receive a message with a map using GPS that shows your exact location.
With just a few touches on this app, you can send out a text message to your circle of friends saying, “Call me I need an interruption,” to help excuse yourself from an uncomfortable situation.
Also, there’s a button for pre-programmed national hotlines on relationship abuse and sexual assault that the user can customize by adding a local emergency number.
Dekia Smith, Director of Counseling Services, said, “It’s a free app that prevents violence and it is endorsed by the White House.”
The “Circle of 6” app is the winner of the White House’s Department of Health and Human Services award in “Apps against Abuse Technology Challenge.”
“Thanks to the creativity and vision of these developers, young people now have a new line of defense against violence in their lives,” said Vice President Joe Biden when he met with a group of students and advocates in February.
At first glance, this app appears to be geared towards woman, but this is not true. Smith says this “app is for everyone, not just females,” and points out that “men are just as vulnerable” to acts of violence. This app can help if you feel threatened or simply if your car breaks down and need to find a ride home.
Smith likes the app, because it “sets up safeguards for you and your friends when you’re out” and it “sends out alerts” that something may be wrong.
The promotion of the app across Bucks campuses comes after an update to the school’s “Gender-Based Misconduct” policy and the launch of the new “Sexual Respect and Title IX” webpage.
The Circle of 6 app ties in perfectly with the college’s policy to comply with federal and state laws prohibiting sex or gender discrimination, unlawful retaliation, and sexual harassment. The college hopes that campus wide use of this app will help keep its students safe.
For more information about “Circle of 6,” go to circleof6app.com.
For more information about the school’s “Sexual Respect and Title IX” policies, go to www.bucks.edu/student/counseling/titleix.