An app and a movement to combat gender-based violence against women with disabilities

CIDIP's App Morada, Mexico: Prevents gender-based violence with a video call-hotline for women with disabilities. Since 2020, used by 25,000 women, leading to a nationwide Purple App Movement.

CIDIP, a Mexican NGO, launched a programme on gender and disability in 2019 and then started the App Morada (Purple App) project in 2020. The app aims to prevent gender-based violence, particularly against women with disabilities, using a video call-hotline supported by Mexican Sign Language and that instantly connects to emergency services. Since 2020 approximately 25,000 women have used the app. In 2022 users of this app started the Purple App Movement, which now has a woman with a disability acting as spokesperson for App Morada in each of the country’s 32 provinces.

Problems Targeted

According to surveys, 72.6 per cent of women with disabilities in Mexico experience violence, but are invisible to laws, public policies, and government budgets.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

App Morada was developed in 2020 with the active participation of women with different disabilities and evaluated by the women themselves in pilot groups. It is fully accessible and complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA standard, as it has a screen reader, pictograms, and easy readability, and all content is in videos in Mexican Sign Language. The app offers targeted support for women with and without disabilities who are victims of gender-based violence. A 24/7 video call-hotline is available and supported by Mexican Sign Language, providing women with emergency numbers or directing them to the right institutions that offer help in cases of violence. For example, through the app’s ‘Learn about Violence’ section, women can access information about what violence is, its different types and forms, laws that protect disabled women, and the rights of women with disabilities who experience violence. Women with disabilities receive virtual and in-person workshops on deconstructing romantic love, gender-based violence, protection mechanisms, their rights, empowerment, and leadership. In 2020, 152 public officials were trained; in 2021 three workshops were held, with a total of 164 participants; and by 2023 the Purple App Movement had 32 speakers across Mexico. By 2023, CIDIP hat started forming SORORYDISCA, a network for and by women with disabilities, strengthening their analytical skills, empowerment, and agency from a feminist perspective.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

CIDIP is financed by public funds and member contributions. The development of App Morada in 2020 was financially supported by the Secretariat for Women in Mexico City, and the 2021 update by the Institute for People with Disabilities in Mexico City. (Awardee 2024)

Pictures

App Morada offers targeted support for women who are victims of gender-based violence.

App Morada offers targeted support for women who are victims of gender-based violence.

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THE STORY OF LUCERO MÁRQUEZ, USER OF THE APP MORADA

“Unfortunately, many women normalize certain types of violence.”

I am Lucero Márquez and I am blind due to premature retinopathy. I first learned about the Morada app in 2021 when I was going up the stairs in the building where I live. My neighbour was coming down, but he was drunk, and he touched me inappropriately. He sent me messages saying that he wanted to sleep with me and other explicit things. This is how I found out about the Morada app. Through the app I was able to discover the organizations that could help me and what actions I could take. In 2022 I had a miscarriage and experienced various forms of violence from the father of my child, including emotional abuse, economic abuse, and ghosting. Unfortunately, many women normalize certain types of violence without realizing it until they start hurting and have unwanted consequences. Through CIDIP, the organization behind the Morada app, I got in touch with women’s networks and was even able to have therapy. The truth is, in Mexico it is difficult to find organizations that support women with disabilities from a gender perspective. CIDIP was the only institution I found that could address both of these issues.