by Caroline Kivinurk
Outcry Witness is a platform for victims of sexual violence to get information, for signposting, and uniquely, provides a safe, secure, and completely anonymous space for victims to keep a record of their experience so that they have control over their choices. Survivors can quickly and easily create a completely anonymous account on the platform, allowing them to record details of the attack. The page autosaves every 20 seconds, so they do not need to worry about losing information, which can be added to at any time. Prompts within the boxes help to store relevant information, and when ready, survivors can download their records to use as they see fit.
Outcry Witness is a platform for victims of sexual violence to get information, for signposting, and uniquely, provides a safe, secure, and completely anonymous space for victims to keep a record of their experience so that they have control over their choices. Survivors can quickly and easily create a completely anonymous account on the platform, allowing them to record details of the attack. The page autosaves every 20 seconds, so they do not need to worry about losing information, which can be added to at any time. Prompts within the boxes help to store relevant information, and when ready, survivors can download their records to use as they see fit.
The Outcry Witness platform is widely available, free, and completely anonymous, and only the account owner can access their records. The platform offers a safety exit button - if users need to leave the platform quickly, they can click the button, and it will instantly display the Google homepage.
Outcry Witness is managed by Outcry Witness, a not-for-profit entity whose founder is Andreea Groenendijk-Deveau, a tech entrepreneur and philanthropist with over two decades of experience in charity initiatives.
An unacceptably high percentage of sexual assaults go unreported in the UK, as often the fear and stigma associated with disclosing experiences of sexual assault or abuse can be crippling and debilitating for survivors. They often face disbelief, shame, and victim-blaming, leading them to stay silent about their experiences. Outcry Witness empowers them to record their experience even if they do not take immediate action, giving them the choice to act when ready, with evidence to support them if and when they decide to take action.
“When it comes to reporting sexual violence, survivors are faced with an often crippling choice: now or never. This can effectively shut them down, and perpetrators bet on this as they go unpunished and unstopped. Outcry Witness puts the “when I’m ready” option in the hands of survivors and gives them the choice to act when and if they decide”, Andreea Groenendijk-Deveau (2024)
Since going live in a Beta format in April 2023, the platform has been used by survivors of sexual violence all across the UK.
Here is how it works:
- Users create a completely anonymous account on the platform.
- The easy-to-use form allows them to write down details about the event they want to keep a record of.
- The page autosaves every 20 seconds, so they do not need to worry about losing their information.
- Users can come back and add information and make changes anytime.
- When ready, they can download their records and use as they see fit.