Our team is working with the operators of SafeChat Silicon Valley, a nonprofit made to provide resources and aid for survivors of domestic violence. The main leaders of the website are members of the organizations Nextdoor Solutions and Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI). We are primarily in contact with Ianna Zhu and Allison Le from AACI, but also have had discussions with Ganlin Chen from Nextdoor Solutions. Both organizations share the mission of making a meaningful impact in their communities and delivering access to information and aid for those in need. Therefore, our critical customers are the people within the communities that Nextdoor Solutions and AACI cater to—but specifically, survivors of domestic violence. 

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    SafeChat SV is a very vital resource for people within the Santa Clara County community. Individuals who have experienced, and are survivors of, domestic violence utilize this site for its live chat features and informational pages. Therefore, the main way our partners communicate with their community is through their live chat, social media, and website. By giving community members the opportunity to talk with a trained professional during the live chat hours, SafeChat SV allows for immediate attention during a crisis. Additionally, the social media accounts and website itself are instant resources for help and information on escaping domestic violence situations. Our team hopes to amplify the website, make it more accessible on mobile devices, and promote its impact on the Santa Clara community. 

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SafeChatSV and NextDoor Solutions’s main target audience are those who are experiencing, survivors of, or want to learn more about domestic violence. Their audience consolidates within Silicon Valley when just considering SafeChatSV. By having a live-chat feature as the main function of their website, it allows their audience to seek help effectively from the convenience of a device. Recently with the rise of COVID-19, there has been an increase in domestic violence due to the proximity of the perpetrator and victim (Kourti). Additionally, the proximity also decreases the amount of domestic violence reports because of the fear of getting caught in the act. Therefore, there needs to be an emphasis on helping domestic violence victims find refuge, even at home, which SafeChatSV strives to accomplish. Also, there is the presence of intersectionality within domestic violence with marginally under-represented groups such as people of color, women, religion, income, and more. With the Bay Area containing many different social identities, discrimination in combination with domestic violence may only increase. 

 

    However, despite the situation domestic violence survivors face, there has been some growth towards helping those in need. For example, on March 16, 2022, President Biden reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act(VAWA) (White House), which protects and supports gender-based violence (including domestic violence). SafeChatSV’s live-chat does the same by supporting the targeted community with immediate help and resources. It is apparent that more efforts are needed in order to support and reach out to those in need.

    The mobilization of the Safechat SV website has a profound effect on a significant amount of people. Socioeconomic status is particularly impacted since it connects survivors with resources and options from their mobile device that they may not have had access to before. Minority communities, in particular, are affected along with other marginalized communities. In comparison to victims from the majority group, victims of domestic violence from ethnic minority groups in the United States experience a higher impact rate and have access to less effective intervention resources (Jones). Our efficient mobile version of Safechat SV’s website will allow survivors of domestic violence to conveniently and urgently seek help from the comfort of their phones. Specifically, the website allows for portability in mobile devices and small screen formats. Our inclusive design prioritizes marginalized communities, empowering them to transform their circumstances.

 

Works Cited

Kourti, Anastasia, et al. “Domestic Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.” Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 2021, p. 152483802110386., https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211038690. 

“Fact Sheet: Reauthorization of the Violence against Women Act (VAWA).” The White House, The United States Government, 16 Mar. 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/16/fact-sheet-reauthorization-of-the-violence-against-women-act-vawa/. 

Jones, Natalie. “Domestic Violence and the Impacts on African American Women: A Brief Overview on Race, Class, and Root Causes in the United State.” The Journal of Multicultural Society, 2016,  pp. 22-36. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://omnesjournal.org/xml/10256/10256.pdf.