Smart Victim Tech: Equipping and Empowering Victims through Safe Technology Project (SVT Project)

Through the OVC FY 2017 Vision 21: Advancing the Use of Technology to Assist Victims of Crime solicitation, OVC seeks to support organizations which demonstrate innovative strategies to create, expand, or enhance use of technology initiatives on a national scale to improve response, services, and access for victims of crime. OVC seeks to address three areas, which may intersect depending on the applicant's proposed activities and project strategy. These are: 1) Coalition building; 2) Development of new national apps or creation of other technology platforms designed to serve victims of crime, including updates and maintenance for the length of the award; and 3) Expanding or enhancing (including updates and maintenance) existing service and hotline digital, online, text platforms and apps that use technology to provide services, referrals, tools, and information to victims of crime.

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) proposes the "Smart Victim Tech: Equipping and Empowering Victims through Safe Technology Project (SVT Project)". Through this initiative NNEDV will: 1) increase survivor and advocate access to information and communication safely via secure platforms and help bridge the capacity gap via education, tools, and best practices for local victim service providers to use digital services; 2) increase the justice system response to victims of crime through use of technology to improve survivor-led evidence collection via a secure national mobile app that uses proven forensic tools in order to help victims safely and efficiently collect evidence to engage with the justice system; and 3) use technology to increase access to resources and legal information for pro se litigants and increase the availability of direct assistance to victims of crime through the expansion of the email hotline run via WomensLaw.org and their website.

CA/NCF