This New App Lets Women Share Places They Feel Unsafe With Other Women

​It shouldn't be the case, but women today often feel scared when they're out and about on their own. Although we wish this kind of vulnerability didn't exist, you only have to open a newspaper or your internet browser to see that scary things happen every day to those who aren't expecting it.

Which is why a new website and app, set up by the Women's Centre for Heath Matters (WCHM)​ in Australia's capital city, Canberra, allows women to document the places they felt most scared being on their own. 

This way, other women can use the mapping tool to assess which areas look to be the most dangerous, and can plan their routes accordingly.

Executive director of the WCHM, Marcia Williams, said women in the area had consistently expressed concern about particular areas that made them feel unsafe.

"The positive side of this is having people be able to say 'look, these sorts of features make this feel really safe for me' and then we can really reinforce that they need to be used in other areas," she explained.

Users can either access the map online or through an app, where they can anonymously log areas - either general or very specific -  along with the day day and time of the incident that made them feel uneasy.

But as with any online tool, especially one that will prove so vital for safety, precautions have had to be taken to ensure it's not abused. As Marcia Williams explains: "We've deliberately designed the system so the information that's put in isn't available to everyone and we'll be able to sort through that data."

Follow Cat on Twitter.