App Aims To Help Survivors Report Sexual Misconduct
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – Much has been made in the accusations against Brett Kavanaugh about why the alleged incident was not reported long ago. Now, an app used by a growing number of college campuses for survivors to make sure there is a record.
There's a very personal reason Jess Ladd founded Callisto three years ago.
"I was sexually assaulted in college. And I did end up reporting over a year later, but ended up finding the process of reporting to be more traumatic than the assault was originally," Ladd told KPIX 5
Now, Ladd and her colleagues are offering college students a way to report sexual assault and harassment through their web-based app. Stanford and the University of San Francisco are two Bay Area universities using it.
"We need to create pathways for them that allow them to get their ideal outcome, which isn't always having the perpetrator in jail or fired," Ladd said.
So far, the company said it is working.
"Survivors who visit their school's Callisto website are six times more likely to report their assault. They do so three times faster, and we've found serial offenders," Ladd said.
At a time when reports of alleged sexual assault are making headlines seemingly every day, Ladd hopes her site empowers victims and let's them know they're not alone.
"We need to use that moment to realize this is a really common problem. Most people do not come forward and officially report. If we as a society want to take this seriously, we need to improve our ability to respond effectively," she said.
Callisto is available on 13 college campuses nationwide. The company plans to expand into the workforce soon, starting with tech companies.
