Civic Tech Platform Empowers Women to Report Public Insecurity in Serbia

• The NGO 'Omladina JAZAS Novi Sad' has launched 'SafeSteps,' a civic tech platform allowing women to anonymously report experiences of insecurity or harassment in public spaces in Serbia.
• The initiative was developed under the 'Digital Sparks' program, part of a regional project supported by the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI).

Platform Functionality and Privacy

• The platform operates with strict anonymity; users provide no names, emails, or phone numbers.
• Locations are marked approximately to protect user privacy while allowing the platform to identify patterns of insecurity in urban environments.
• It includes a network of over 20 support contacts to provide users with direct access to assistance.

Context and Social Impact

• Many women and youth in Serbia face gender-based discrimination and safety concerns that frequently go unreported due to fear of stigma or institutional distrust.
• By aggregating individual experiences, the project turns isolated incidents into actionable data, shifting the focus from individual self-protection to community-led systemic changes.
• The project serves as an educational tool for youth, demonstrating how technology can facilitate civic participation and influence public discourse.

Future Outlook

• The organization plans to expand the project beyond Novi Sad and integrate its findings into broader advocacy with local institutions and schools.
• Long-term goals include using these reports to drive dialogue with policy-makers, turning visibility into structural improvements for public spaces.