Ondo 2024 election : Big family 360 foundation deployed app to monitor GBV, recorded none
There were no recorded cases of gender-based violence (GBV) during the November 16, 2024, Ondo State gubernatorial election.
The Executive Director of Emmanuel World Children’s Foundation, Mr. Adaramola Emmanuel, made this statement while briefing newsmen shortly after the election in Akure, the state capital. Emmanuel, who is a state partner with the Big Family 360 Foundation (which deployed the gender-based violence application), said service providers had been trained for frontline response and empowered for effective service delivery.
Among the service providers trained for instant response were the Nigerian security and civil defense corps, Nigerian police, Ondo State agency against gender based violence, (OSAAGBV)social workers and selected NGOs among others .
“We deployed and mobilized people to understand the short code and the application. So far, so good. It has been successfully deployed during the election. Many people on the field have installed the application,” Emmanuel said.
From the records, the number of users of the application and short code in Ondo state more than the previous state where it was last deployed.
Emmanuel, who expressed his satisfaction that there were no reports of violence due to the peaceful nature of the election, noted that many people still have the application and are actively using it.
He emphasized that the SMARTRR app is designed to allow witnesses or victims of gender-based violence to report incidents and receive timely interventions within three seconds, with notifications sent to frontline service providers.
The Big family 360 foundation, which developed the application and already in use in 5 countries is partnering with Emmanuel World Children Foundation in Ondo state. The organization are committed to ensuring that people have access to timely intervention in cases of gender-based violence.
while confirming that there were no cases of GBV reported during the election, Emmanuel stated that the application remains operational and functional even after the election.
He mentioned that the application, Smart RR, is available on the Play Store and can also be downloaded by Apple users. For those without Android phones, the Smart Short Code *347 * 3090# can be used.
Once dialed, the code will direct users to a dialogue box where they can report incidents to the police, social workers, hospitals, civil rights organizations, OSAAGBV, and other relevant agencies.
