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Harassment Report Maps

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81 percent of women and 43 percent of men report having experienced some form of sexual harassment during their lifetime. [1]

Voices are louder than ever, demanding change. With recent viral movements, celebrity admissions and high-profile accusations, we are more familiar with shocking statistics like these, and we are starting to talk.

Unfortunately, abstract numbers and aggregated statistics aren't enough to change behavior. To solve complex societal problems like harassment, we need to get our communities engaged and focused. We need to connect with each other on a personal level.

And how can we do that? It starts by connecting our stories and data to a real time and place. By showing you what goes on in the places you care about.

Maps are a powerful tool.

We read shocking stories and headlines every day. Most take place in far away places, to people we've never met. This makes them easy to ignore, dismiss or forget.

But when we put these events and stories in context, when we hear them told first hand by the victims themselves... things are different. Stories become personal. Simply by nature of proximity, we feel driven to protect our neighbors and our friends.

And even more important-- victims don't want to shout their stories into the void, or write them into ledgers and databases! They want their friends and neighbors to hear what happened, to feel their support. To know that things are going to get better, not worse.

An effective and proven method.

Call it crowd-mapping, crowd-sourcing, issue reporting-- there are dozens of incredible groups and projects from which to get inspired. Take a minute to browse the stories shared in Egypt, in Sydney, and in Delhi.

The reports in these examples range from unfortunate annoyances, to deeply disturbing and tragic attacks. They are sometimes heavy and hard to digest, but incredibly important and impactful. The resulting maps reach further and weigh heavier than any commissioned study or traditional campaign. They serve as a powerful resource, even for those who have never been victimized themselves.

A report from CrowdSpot's FreeToBe Sydney campaign

Existing sexual harassment mapping campaigns vary in style, technology, and approach, but they follow a similar structure: an open, public, crowd-sourced map where anyone can report and describe an incident.

Launch one in your city.

We've got the tech part covered-- canvis.app makes projects like these easier and more affordable for anyone to launch. That means you can focus on what matters. Give your full attention to the partnerships, marketing, analysis, and impact!

Looking at the trailblazing work that's been done by HarassMap, CrowdSpot and others, we've seen a few patterns emerge. We see that the most successful projects have buy-in from trusted organizations, stakeholders and local authorities. They are well planned and thought-out, and have answers to important questions: what happens to the data? Who moderates the discussion? Who benefits, who pays? Who do we invite to contribute, and when? Which areas do you target?

We'd love to work with you and the social leaders in your area to launch your own sexual harassment mapping project. Please reach out! Together we can make a real impact. info@canvis.app

[1] https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/21/587671849/a-new-survey-finds-eighty-percent-of-women-have-experienced-sexual-harassment