Downloads of women safety app WalkSafe soar following Sarah Everard murder

The app has climbed to the top of Apple’s free app chart amid serious debate about the issue of women’s safety.
Downloads of women safety app WalkSafe soar following Sarah Everard murder
Jamie Harris17 March 2021

A women’s safety app has surged to the top of the download charts in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder.

WalkSafe has attracted more than 300,000 downloads within a week, becoming the number one free app on Apple’s iOS and entering the top 10 on Android.

The tool only had about two thousand downloads before Ms Everard’s disappearance and the ensuing debate about gender violence, co-founder Emma Kay told the PA news agency.

Her own experiences of harassment inspired her to back the project, though “it shouldn’t have to exist”.

Our ultimate goal was, even if it saves one person from a difficult situation then it will all be worth it and that's really what drives us

Emma Kay, WalkSafe

“It was something that I definitely felt very strongly about,” she told PA.

“There have been instances in the past of myself, dating back from a young age – I’m talking schoolgirl age – where you felt nervous, you’ve been scared.

“I’ve been followed, I’ve had someone, a stranger in the street put his hand up my skirt, I’ve been in those sorts of situations and it does start young.”

The idea came about from Ms Kay’s brother-in-law who spearheaded development of the technology, which includes a map of reported incidents nearby that make users aware of potential danger zones.

Emma Kay, co-founder of the SafeWalk app

Another feature allows people to tap the app every so often while they walk home, sending an alert to a loved one if they do not tap within the set time.

Users can also check in with others and let the app send an automatic notification to friends when they have reached their destination.

Ms Kay – a mother of one who is expecting her second child – told PA the feedback has been positive and “rewarding”, with requests from people in the Netherlands and the US to expand support internationally.

“Our ultimate goal was, even if it saves one person from a difficult situation then it will all be worth it and that’s really what drives us,” she said.

Serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens 48, is accused of kidnapping and murdering 33-year-old Ms Everard, as she walked home from a friend’s flat in Clapham, south London, on the evening of March 3.

He is due to go on trial in the autumn.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in