Teams will use their knowledge and skills to develop easy-to-use mobile- or Web-based applications that can help prevent physical assaults, verbal abuse, and other acts of domestic violence, or aid victims and those trying to help them. Submissions will be judged based on their innovation, design, potential impact, how well they integrate evidence-based information, and how easily they can be used in low- and middle-income nations. The best app will earn a prize of $10,000. Second, third, and fourth place teams will receive $7,500, $5,000, and $2,500 respectively.
The contest grew out of a workshop convened by IOM’s Forum on Global Violence Prevention in December. Workshop participants discussed how traditional and new media can be used in violence prevention and explored new communications and social media applications for this purpose.
Teams from any country may compete in the challenge and team members may be from more than one country. At least one team member must work in domestic violence prevention, for example as a researcher, student, or staff member of an advocacy organization. Participants must register by May 31.
Submissions must be accompanied by a proof of concept statement and are due no later than July 31. The challenge defines domestic violence as including all forms of intimate partner violence, dating violence, child abuse, and others forms of violence that occur in the home.
For more information on “Ending Violence @ Home App Challenge,” visit http://www.iom.edu/EndDV.