Challenges of Smart Cities: How Smartphone Apps Can Improve the Safety of Women

Smart cities promote the use of emerging technologies to revolutionize the way we live and interact, making it safer to live in community creating an environment where women and men can feel safe. Unfortunately in regular cities, many women and young people have been involved as victims of reported situations such as harassment, assaults, kidnapping, robbery, human trafficking and femicides. Due to these situations, smartphone apps have been created so public utilities are more efficient and generate an atmosphere of safety specially for groups that can be vulnerable, as well as helping lower the rates of crime and contribute to safety of citizens. In this study, we analyze the safety situation of women in diverse countries and the impact of the smartphone apps that provide security to women. Finally, we present a smartphone app called Circle Armored that serves as an example of the type of apps that could prevent or assist during violence situations.