Sahabat Anda is a sexual harassment reporting app for local and migrant workers in Malaysia. The app is published by NGO Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (Sahabat Wanita), that works with women workers in various aspects, from counselling, training, educating and empowering them for improved quality of life.
The Sahabat Anda app works hand-in-hand with other Sahabat Wanita programmes on the ground that seek to improve the sexual harassment awareness level of women workers. The app was developed and published with aid from the United Nations UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF).
The Sahabat Anda app is a free-to-use app for workers across the country. Though the app is mainly focussed for migrant and local workers, anyone – male or female – who feels sexually harassed in the workplace can reach out by using the app. The NGO (Sahabat Wanita) will handle all reports coming in to the organisation via the app with respect and utmost confidentiality.
Apart from addressing the issue of worker and human rights, Sahabat Wanita also deals with issues surrounding sexual harassment. The sexual harassment reporting app, Sahabat Anda, is intended to create awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace by educating workers of actions, words and activities that constitute sexual harassment.
The app will be used to collect reports of sexual harassment incidents in the workplace, generate complaints/cases on sexual harassment and channel cases to the NGO for action. Action by the NGO would include counselling, case-building and where necessary relocation to better working conditions.
The app allows users to create a profile (using Facebook or email) where they can record incidents over time, ask questions for the purpose of self-education, read posts that inform and educate, participate in polls to channel real-life information to the NGO or call for help instantaneously. The App would allow for reporting to be recorded via written or oral report.
The key features:
Education on Sexual Harassment – Comprehensive and easy-to-understand information of sexual harassment in the workplace. In addressing the matter of the lack of literacy at some worker levels, the app features images (visuals) demonstrating how sexual harassment looks like in the workplace.
Polls -- The app runs polls for information collection and is to be used by Sahabat Wanita and to improve the quality of life and protect workers. The information collection module is simple and user-friendly to enable the majority of migrant and local workers in Malaysia the ease of using the app. The information collected will then be used to create awareness programmes, training, brochures and workshops to educate women of their rights and how to take the next course of action.
Reporting - Users can make a complaint or speak to a counsellor. This is enabled through voice, to address the different literacy levels of the users of the app.
The Sahabat Anda app will in a nutshell, raise awareness, gather information as well as empower more women to step forward and protect themselves.
Disclaimer: The SOS button in the app will not be connecting to the Police or any other local authorities. It will be connected to the Sahabat Wanita Selangor Team.