Being a Nigerian can sometimes mean being accustomed to different forms of abuse as a child, and only a fraction of Nigerian children receive help. According to Unicef, Six out of every 10 children experience some form of violence – one in four girls and 10 percent of boys have been victims of sexual violence. Of the children who reported violence, fewer than five out of 100 received any form of support.
Nigeria has the largest number of child brides in Africa with more than 23 million girls and women who were married as children, most of them from poor and rural communities.
Thanks to the internet age and the growing access to smartphones, some of these issues are being combated. Saadat Aliyu, a Kano-based developer has created the Android-based application ‘Helpio App’, the app is a much-needed tool to combat the high rate of rape cases in Nigeria. ‘Helpio App’ was launched on August 6, 2020, on Playstore.
Ms Aliyu who is the founder of Shamrock Innovations, Women and Youth-Centric Tech Innovation Hub in Kano.
“You can go to the Play store, search for it and install it. After Installation, you can sign up using email and password either in Hausa or English language,”
she told Channels Television on Monday.
Saadat Aliyu got her IT skills from her brother when she was in junior secondary school and subsequently became a self-taught developer. She’s currently working on her next project which will be launched very soon and is fintech-oriented. Saadat Aliyu plans to keep making an impact on women and people’s lives by advocating and developing solutions.
A Little Info About Shamrock Innovations.
Shamrock Innovations is a Women and youth centric innovation Hub In kano providing space for women & youth to Collaborate, Innovate, Explore, Create and Provide solutions in Business and Technology. Shamrock Innovations supports members through Education, Mentoring, and Collaboration, while the office environment gives them access to professional, productive space where they can grow a prosperous business, built on the foundation of a powerful community.
I believe Women and youth should be given the opportunity to be innovative and creative.
Saadat Aliyu said on her website.
More Facts?
- One in every three girls has experienced at least one form of sexual assault by the time they reach 25 years, according to NOI polls.
- The Helpio App will help girls report rape incidents fast without any fear or limitations.
- There is also the belief that rape cases are usually under-reported. Research has shown that out of all the reported rape cases, only 67% acknowledge that the criminals were arrested. This means that 3 out of 10 criminals actually face the dictates of the law. With the new app, all reports entered will be monitored and all offenders subsequently brought to book.
