Her Rescue App Summons Help for Victims of Sexual Assault
Youssra el-Sharkawy /
OZY
Launched in October, the app currently has over 3,000 registered users — most between the ages of 18 and 35 — and about one-third are male rescuers. The majority of users are concentrated in downtown Cairo, Dokki, Shubra, Nasr City, Heliopolis, Maadi, Helwan and other sections of Giza. Admittedly, 3,000 is a tiny number in a city of 9.5 million, but it’s a start. “It won’t solve the problem but it will reduce it,” says Helal, whose focus is raising awareness of the threat women face in their everyday lives as much as exposing and punishing harassers.