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How a civic tech platform is helping women in Serbia get home safely

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 20/10/2026, 15:15:24 UTC.

Briefings

A Serbian NGO, Omladina JAZAS Novi Sad, launched the SafeSteps platform to anonymously document public safety experiences for women and girls. The platform allows users to mark locations where they felt unsafe without revealing personal data, aiming to shift focus from individual protection to community-level changes. This initiative is part of the Digital Spark Regional Support Mechanism EECA project in Serbia, funded by the Metamorphosis Foundation and TechSoup.

Key points

• SafeSteps is a civic technology platform where women in Serbia can anonymously mark locations where they experienced insecurity, harassment, or violence without revealing personal identity.
• The platform includes over 20 support contacts to assist users and serves as a tool to shift focus from individual safety measures to community-level changes in public spaces.

Context

In Serbia, women and girls face persistent gender-based discrimination and unequal treatment, with many incidents of harassment and intimidation never becoming official complaints. The Digital Spark Regional Support Mechanism EECA project aims to address these issues through civic technology initiatives in the Global South.

Limitations

The evidence is limited to a single interview with Varvara Lazarevic from Omladina JAZAS Novi Sad. The platform's full impact and user adoption rates are not documented, and the project's broader reach beyond this specific interview remains unverified.

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