New Smartphone App Helps Women at Risk

GotU, an easy to use app launched today (November 28, 2013) was created by an Australian grandfather to turn the tables on attackers, and help save the lives of vulnerable people at risk globally, especially women.

With one touch, GotU captures, and transmits photographic evidence of any threat or attack, within seconds to only the user’s chosen trusted recipients. The message received includes a tamperproof image of the situation, a map and GPS co-ordinates, date, time and other data.

GotU was conceived by Keith Jolly, a 72-year-old semi-retired IT professional, and a grandfather of five from rural New South Wales in Australia. In 2011 he and his wife witnessed an assault on a Sydney train. As the attack took place in front of horrified passengers, Mr Jolly realised he needed an app on his smartphone that immediately transmitted evidence of a crime to secure locations, before any offender had time to take or destroy his phone, and without becoming a target himself.

He sat on his app idea for a year after the train assault. But following horrifying attacks on women globally, especially in Australia and India in 2012, he felt duty bound to develop GotU with a small team of former colleagues.

“I wish we had developed GotU earlier because perhaps some lives could have been saved,’ Mr Jolly said. ‘It is absolutely my objective with GotU to help people who find themselves at risk, and in danger, or those who witness crimes as we did.’

The app is being launched globally this week to coincide with United Nation’s 16 Days of Activism against gender violence, and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. According to the World Health Organisation’s first global study into the prevalence of violence against women released in July, nearly 30% of women globally have suffered sexual and/or physical violence, often at hands of their partner.

‘GotU is essential for any smartphone user for those times in life when you can find yourself in that frightening “wrong place, wrong time” moment’, said Mr Jolly.

Anyone in an at-risk situation can activate GotU to put it into witness mode. Then, with just one touch of the smartphone screen, photographic evidence, along with location data, is captured and transmitted within seconds to the private inboxes of up to eight trusted recipients.

Mr. Jolly said GotU is also intended to record, and potentially deter other harmful incidents. These include alcohol induced violence, bullying, sexual harassment, workplace and campus harassment and assault, taxi violence, racial crime, stalking, abduction, rape, mistreatment of the elderly and disabled, assault and institutional persecution. GotU can also be a useful tool for witnessing violations of restraining orders and AVOs.

'We can't say for sure that GotU will necessarily save lives. However, if it acts as a deterrent, or brings help to a person at risk more quickly, it may just be the weapon people need to defend themselves.’

‘We hope it acts as a deterrent when a perpetrator understands evidence has already left the scene.’ GotU is available for download from Apple’s App Store for a one-off fee $1.99. GotU has no on-going fees and only relies on the user to maintain their email account.

Mr Jolly and his colleagues are donating a percentage to global anti-violence organisations. GotU is not an alternative to calling the emergency services but an app Mr Jolly says he wished he had had on his smartphone that day on the train in 2011.

‘If GotU can help get one person safe, or capture evidence of criminals perpetrating violent and other crimes, then I will have achieved what I set out to do.’

www.gotutech.com

ENDS…..

For more information, high res images or to interview Keith Jolly about GotU please contact Alex Fitch, Fitch Media alex@fitchmedia.com.au

Mobile: 61) 488 992 791