Overview
If you've ever felt uncomfortable in Sydney at night, you're far from alone, with a new study by Plan International Australia finding a huge 90 percent of the city's young women share those fears.
Of course, this won't be all that surprising to those who've been subjected to some kind of street harassment. But it's statistics like this that have spurred the creation of the NGO's new Free To Be map, which has just launched in Sydney.
The interactive map feature is aimed at 15 to 25-year-olds, and allows girls and women using the app to drop 'bad' pins on spots around the city where they feel unsafe. 'Good' pins are also used to show locations they consider safe.
While the responsibility to prevent street harassment shouldn't land on the victim, Plan believes, by giving young women a platform to anonymously report incidents and collecting that data, that it can help make Sydney's streets safer.
"This data will be provided to city planners, public transport authorities, police and groups responsible for urban safety, so they can make positive changes to make cities safer places for women," said Plan International Australia CEO Susanne Legena.
The map is now open for submissions — and while it looks like most people have been taking it seriously, there's already a number of entries that appear to have come from trolls.
Plan is now working with police, local councils and Metro trains in tackling issues of harassment head-on. The findings will also be shared with local businesses in an effort to instigate change at that level and make more of the city's spaces safer.
The Free to Be map can be found here. You can add to it up until May 28, 2018.