Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data has shown that all types of violence against women and girls have intensified. One in two women feel unsafe walking alone after dark (ONS, 2021) and nearly half avoid travel at night (TfL), with good reason — since Sarah Everard’s death in March 2021, 125 more women have been killed by men (Independent). Social listening has shown that the online conversation in the U.K. around women’s safety has grown by 546% between 2020 and 2021, highlighting the prevalence of the topic since the pandemic. The increased public attention has led to progress in tackling violence against women, such as a new government strategy in the U.K. and a Night Charter in London, but far more needs to be done to ensure people feel safe on the streets. 

Data’s role in the ‘Women’s Safety Epidemic’

A major barrier in tackling this crisis, as with many, is the lack of data. Violence against women and girls has been a dark secret for far too long. Now, data collection efforts around the world led, by UN Women and the WHO, are shedding light on the tragic problems and are progressing towards solutions. Recently released data has been gender-disaggregated, which is a step in the right direction following the historic but ongoing gender biases that exist in data. However, disaggregation by race, ethnicity and disability falls short, hindering a full picture of how the intersection of inequalities impact Black women and women of minorities’ experiences of safety. 

Historically, approaches to tackle women’s safety have been centred around keeping women safe and helping victims. Women are not comfortable or confident in reporting incidents, leading to a lack of data collected on incidents and offenders. However, there has been a recent focus around shifting the conversation to address the root of the cause — the perpetrators. 

As a woman in her 20s, apps such as Safe and the City are extremely welcomed as an example of the power of sharing data to help protect women. 

However, there is only so much that an app that tracks a women’s movements can do, with more needing to be done around data collection and sharing on men’s behaviours and attitudes from a young age. To understand how data can help progress towards a solution for violence against women, we need to look at the current opportunities and challenges with data collection and sharing to aid public good.

How to increase data collection and sharing

Data’s value as an economic resource to power innovation is increasing, along with its ability and role for the public good. However, with this, a new way of thinking and approach for policymakers is required to ensure that an individual’s privacy is considered.

The main historic value of data comes from improving predictions and decision making. For consumers, this normally can be seen through day-to-day interactions such as “Amazon Recommendations” and Netflix “Because you watched” by creating a value exchange. Code is part of RAPP, whose research identified four main levers within the value exchange with consumers: Choice, Community, Clarity and Control. However, to date, the value exchange has been built on negative emotional foundations, with most consumers feeling negative emotions and reluctance when sharing their personal data. To transform the negativity around sharing personal data, consumers need more transparency as to how their personal data is being used.

The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the power of sharing data for good. Data was shared by the public and multiple industries; from the NHS sharing data with supermarkets to help identify vulnerable people to prioritise for deliveries to the Virus’ entire genetic makeup being published online within days to aid vaccine development. It is evident that individuals and industries are more willing to share data when in a crisis. So why isn’t data being shared for other global challenges?

Data and ethics are a large consideration around any use case, with crime and safety bearing a huge challenge in the scale and volume of data that the public is comfortable with being shared, highlighting the trade-off between public benefit, privacy and safety. An example of this can be seen in the debate around the use of facial recognition technology to help the Metropolitan Police locate people on a ‘watchlist’ on the streets of London, which faces backlash due to accuracy concerns as well as threatening public rights.To date, inconsistent data processing approaches have created a complex environment which hinders transparency and accountability, resulting in a negative impact on public trust. 

There is a need to identify safe ways to transparently share data in order to benefit the public. Progression is being made. During 2021, the U.K, Government launched an inquiry to explore the ways data is currently shared, as well as a strategy proposing sharing anonymous data safely across the health system, balancing people’s privacy with the need for effective use. However, there is more that needs to be done to include key private sector players across a range of industries to ensure that we are working together to share data safely and securely.

As an individual who works in data and as an agency who stands up individuality and the future of marketing, we should all be doing more to help and encourage the ongoing conversation and sharing to ensure that change happens.  Women’s safety is just one of the many ways that data could aid progression towards a better future.