Uber Makes $5 Million Pledge to Prevent Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

Source: Uber

Sexual assault, as we all know in the United States, is a hot topic currently and it continues to evolve into a much larger crisis by the day. To date one in five women and one in seventy-one men will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime according to the CDC. Twenty-four people per minute experience domestic violence and/or sexual assault in the United States which is more than 12 million people over the course of a year.

Sexual assault is something that is hard to discuss with anyone after you have been a victim. Most of us, after being assaulted, question yourself. Who will believe me? Who will help me? Why did this happen? Is it my fault? I know that is how I felt on multiple occasions I was accosted. You must always remember:

In an effort to defeat this wide spread tragedy of sexual assault throughout our nation Uber is committing $5 million to fund prevention initiatives. Per Uber, the $5 million commitment over five years will fund programmatic partnerships focused on prevention. An initial portion of the funding will go to their partners Raliance, National Network to End Domestic Violence, NO MORE, Women of Color Network, Inc., Casa de Esperanza, A CALL TO MEN, and The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.

The Uber partnerships and funding will also help address critical funding gaps with communities who are often the most underfunded. The other initiatives Uber will implement as part of this intiative includes:

  • Providing important information to drivers and riders

In collaboration with Raliance, National Network to End Domestic Violence, NO MORE, and Uber‘s Safety Advisory Board, developed awareness and prevention messaging and are using the global scope and scale through their in-app technology to inform millions of riders and drivers.

  • Making a commitment to employees

They have also partnered with Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence to develop and adopt a commitment to appropriately assist employees who might need their help in this area.

  • Implementing employee education and training

Uber will be educating employees with training by experts from the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

They are also using technology to increase accountability and transparency like providing riders with driver and car information before a trip and our two-way feedback system and features like Real-Time ID Check which help verify that the right driver is behind the wheel. Their plan is to invest in this technology and develop new products that contribute to the safety of everyone who drives and rides using the UBER app is a top priority.

Overcoming a sexual assault situation especially if not talked about is tough, scary, and sad but there are people out there you can talk to about it. The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline is 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) and their site is located here: https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline.

Sometimes it is easier to talk to a stranger about something so horrendous before family or friends. I know for me I didn’t talk about it for years out of fear and depression. I can now talk about it with the support of friends and family who understood what I went through. My deepest sympathy for all those have had this struggle and all I can say is it WILL get better day to day and as long as you surround yourself with loved ones. You will overcome this though at times it seems bleak. I believe we are never given something we can’t handle and inner strength gets you through the hardest of situations.

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Source: Uber, World Health Organization, CDC, National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) and the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV)