- The Bright Sky RO app provides specialised assistance and support to victims of domestic violence, people in an abusive relationship or those who are worried about such a person.
- The guide detailing types of abuse is the most accessed feature of the app.
- Between January and September 2022, 9,771 provisional protection orders were issued in Romania, 20% more than in the first 9 months of last year.
- The highest proportion in the sphere of domestic violence is for „hitting or other violence”, followed by „threat”.
Bucharest, 21 November 2022 – More than 10,000 Romanians protect themselves from domestic violence and actively use the Bright Sky RO app. Since its launch and to date, the app has been used almost 32,000 times, by Romanians who are victims of domestic violence or by those who choose to report such situations.
The section explaining forms of abuse is the most used section of the app. The phenomenon of domestic violence remains on the rise in our country – between January and September 2022, 9,771 provisional protection orders were issued in Romania, 20% more than in the first 9 months of last year, Romanian Police data show.
Bright Sky RO is the only free digital tool to support victims of domestic violence in Romania. The app was launched by the Vodafone Romania Foundation, in partnership with the Romanian Police (through the Institute for Crime Research and Prevention), the Necuvinte Association and the Code for Romania Association, in May 2020.
Since its launch, the app has been downloaded on 10,544 handsets, with 10,000 unique users at the moment – direct victims of abuse, but also those who know of such a case and are looking for support, want to get informed.
From May 2020 to date, Bright Sky RO has been used 31,689 times. The most accessed features of the app are :
- Guides – with 13,265 hits. The most used feature in this section is the guide on forms of abuse and how to recognise them, with 3,690 hits;
- Questionnaire to assess safety in a relationship – 11,138 hits;
- The search function for the nearest help and support service – 4,608 hits.
„Preventing domestic violence is a priority of the Romanian Police. The Bright Sky RO app provides useful information to both victims and specialists in the field, and it also allows the storage and protection of evidence in the event of a future legal action. The preventive recommendations cover all forms of abuse and are easy to access for all those who want to help or get out of a risky situation”, said Chief Superintendent Stănică Sorin – Director of the Institute for Crime Research and Prevention of the Romanian Police General Inspectorate.
„Bright Sky RO has a strong side of education, awareness of the problem and information, guidance. The victim learns, concretely, what are the steps to follow when deciding to leave an abusive relationship. Moreover, the victim finds here direct support from authorities and support services. The app can be deleted and reinstalled whenever needed without losing any information,” said Angela Galeța, director of the Vodafone Romania Foundation.
Bright Sky RO allows quick calls to support services. Since launch, 319 people have called 112 and found support, directly through the app. The „My Diary” feature, where pictures, videos or audio files can be sent securely without the risk of being viewed by others, has been used 637 times. Material uploaded here can later be used as evidence to document abuses in front of investigative bodies or in court.
According to Romanian Police data, in our country, in the first 9 months of this year, the highest proportion of domestic violence crimes is „hitting or other violence” – 63%, followed by „threat” – 12% and „family abandonment” – 10%.
We remind you that, as of 1 October 2022, the Electronic Monitoring Information System is operational in Bucharest and Iași, Mureș and Vrancea counties, for monitoring by means of electronic surveillance devices, following the application of measures in the case of the issuance of provisional protection order, protection order and European protection order.
Bright Sky Ro is available for free in the App Store and Google Play Store in Romanian, English and Hungarian.
Detailed information about the app and its features can also be found HERE.
The Vodafone Romania Foundation is a Romanian non-governmental organisation, with charitable status, distinct and independent from the company’s commercial operations, established in 1998. In over 20 years of activity, Vodafone Romania Foundation has funded 1,168 programmes run by 745 NGOs across the country in the fields of health, education, social services. The projects have had more than 3 million beneficiaries – children, young people, the elderly, physically, socially or economically disadvantaged people. To date, the Vodafone Romania Foundation has invested €31 million in projects carried out by partner non-profit organisations. More details about the Foundation’s programmes are available at www.fundatia-vodafone.ro, http://jurnaldebine.fundatiavodafone.ro/ and www.facebook.com/fundatiavodafone.
The Institute for Crime Research and Prevention is the directorate within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police that coordinates, monitors and controls the crime prevention activity carried out by the Romanian Police at central and territorial level. Since 2001, the Institute represents Romania in the European Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN), a crime prevention network that exchanges best practices at European level and promotes crime prevention activity.
More information about the institute can be found at: www.politiaromana.ro/ro/politia-romana/unitati-centrale/institutul-de-cercetare-si-prevenire-a-criminalitatii
