Harassment: in Marseille, the Safer Plage app helps secure the beaches

According to a YouGov study, 50% of women dare not go to the beach alone for fear of being harassed. Indeed, street harassment does not stop at the

 Harassment: in Marseille, the Safer Plage app helps secure the beaches

 

According to a YouGov study, 50% of women dare not go to the beach alone for fear of being harassed. Indeed, street harassment does not stop at the seaside. On the beach too, women can be the victims of harassment. To allow women to be safe on the beaches, the city of Marseille has launched the Safer Plage application. On the Prado Sud beach, the first aid station regularly sends a message to invite holidaymakers to download the application. Completely free, Safer Plage operates from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and allows you to discreetly send a geolocated alert to the first-aid station.


Depending on the information in the alert: "I am embarrassed", "I am harassed", "I am in danger", the emergency services can contact the municipal police directly for immediate intervention. "It's a step forward. The city in general is not made for women. You can't go alone to the restaurant, to the cinema or to the beach without taking the risk of being bothered", says Annick Karsenty, president of Femmes Solidaires Marseille.

On Tuesday mornings and Friday afternoons, several feminist associations hold an information stand. They distribute information kits on violence against women and explain to holidaymakers how to use the application.
A single-page test in August

Viviane, a regular at this beach, came to find out after hearing the call from the first aid station. She regularly witnesses shocking behavior, such as "a man who pretended to telephone and filmed [the women] on the beach, or another gentleman who masturbated under his jersey".

Safer Plage is being tested throughout the month of August on the Prado beach. According to the first results, the city will extend this system to all supervised beaches in Marseille.