SAFERGOV: SEXTORTION MITIGATION AND RESEARCH HUB
A central hub for our main project, a initiative addressing sextortion in public service delivery. It provides access to key resources, policy recommendations, advocacy tools, and interactive platforms.
WHAT WE DO?
SaferGov is a pioneering initiative dedicated to tackling sextortion in public service delivery through the use of GovTech innovations, ethical governance, and data-driven policy recommendations. Our goal is to combat this hidden form of corruption, particularly affecting marginalized communities, by fostering transparency, accountability, and justice in public institutions.
Through extensive research, strategic collaborations, and cutting-edge technologies, SaferGov provides comprehensive solutions to mitigate sextortion's effects on individuals and society. We aim to not only address the structural issues behind sextortion but also empower governments and communities with the tools they need to create safer, more transparent public service environments.
Sub-Projects
SP1: Understanding the Roots of Sextortion
SP2: Surveying the Impact on Public Service Delivery
Our work is organized into four key sub-projects (SPs), each addressing distinct facets of sextortion in public service delivery. While each sub-project operates independently, they are interconnected, working organically to provide a holistic and comprehensive approach to combating sextortion.
The solutions we develop are grounded in care ethics, prioritizing the needs and vulnerabilities of marginalized communities. Each sub-project integrates contextualized technological solutions that are designed to be adaptable, scalable, and ethically sound. Through this unique combination of ethical frameworks and GovTech innovation, we aim to provide targeted, sustainable actions that foster trust and transparency in public services.
This sub-project dives deep into the structural, cultural, and historical factors that allow sextortion to persist, focusing specifically on the case of Brazil. Through media analysis, archival research, and social media studies, we aim to identify the root causes of sextortion and its profound impact on public service delivery. By examining Brazil’s unique social landscape, we generate insights that can be applied globally to develop targeted solutions.
Key Focus Areas:
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Historical and cultural drivers of sextortion
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Impact of structural violence and impunity
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Analysis of political and legal frameworks enabling sextortion
Building on the findings from SP1, this sub-project employs large-scale surveys and qualitative interviews to capture the personal experiences of women who have interacted with public services. Our goal is to uncover how sextortion affects trust in public institutions and access to essential services like healthcare, education, and law enforcement. This data informs policy recommendations that aim to restore faith in public services.
Key Activities:
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Conducting surveys and interviews with 2,000 women across five major Brazilian cities
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Quantifying the social and psychological impact of sextortion
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Linking survey results to institutional frameworks
SP3: GovTech Solutions to Combat Sextortion
SP4: An Interactive Platform for Research and Action
Outcomes
SP3 explores how technology—specifically GovTech innovations like blockchain—can be used to prevent and address sextortion. By enhancing transparency and security in public service interactions, we aim to create robust, tamper-proof systems that protect users from corruption. This project includes the development of a blockchain-based platform that will provide a secure channel for reporting, evidence storage, and data-sharing across agencies.
Key Features:
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Blockchain applications for secure identity verification and data integrity
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Digital tools for reporting sextortion cases safely
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Cross-agency data sharing to support investigations
The final sub-project focuses on the creation of an online platform that integrates all the data, insights, and tools developed throughout the research. This platform will serve as a hub for stakeholders—researchers, policymakers, civil society, and the public—to access research, policy recommendations, and advocacy tools. Our goal is to foster collaborative action against sextortion, empowering all sectors to join the fight.
Platform Features:
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Public access to research findings, reports, and policy tools
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Interactive maps highlighting areas most affected by sextortion
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Legal and policy resources to guide effective countermeasures
The SaferGov project has developed several key outcomes to address sextortion and promote transparency in public service delivery:
Policy Recommendations: Through rigorous research and data analysis, SaferGov provides targeted policy recommendations aimed at strengthening legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms to prevent and combat sextortion. Our recommendations are informed by evidence-based insights and are designed to guide governments and public institutions in fostering accountability and ethical governance.
Innovative Technology Solutions: The project has also pioneered innovative technological solutions to tackle sextortion. By leveraging GovTech tools like blockchain for secure reporting and data integrity, and data analytics to track trends and identify vulnerabilities, we provide scalable, tech-driven solutions that ensure transparency and protect victims. Our technology empowers both public service providers and citizens to report and address sextortion safely and effectively.
Collaborative Partnerships and Capacity Building: SaferGov fosters strategic collaborative partnerships with governments, NGOs, and international organizations. By strengthening capacity-building programs, we equip public service providers, legal practitioners, and civil society with the tools and knowledge to identify and mitigate sextortion. These partnerships amplify the project’s impact, ensuring long-term sustainability and widespread adoption of our solutions.
Proposed Process
Research & Ethical Foundations
Conducting research on user needs, with an emphasis on care ethics and participatory design. Identifying sociological gaps, structural conditions and power asymmetries. This ensures that the technology is designed with the well-being of communities in mind.
Inclusive Design Framework
Apply an inclusive design approach, incorporating surveys, questionnaires, focus groups and other forms of feedback from targeted groups to co-create solutions that reflect their real needs and challenges.
Trust-Building & Data Transparency
Implement mechanisms that build trust: transparent data practices and clear communication on how user data will be protected, how this tech can be used and reapropriated to ensure users feel empowered.
Iterative Testing & Feedback
Continuously test and improve the solution, involving diverse stakeholders in feedback loops, to address accessibility challenges and adapt to changing user needs. Only then we can start talking about empowerment and trust.
How is it usually done?
Research & User Insights: Collecting data on user behaviors (individual / consequential-focused approach), focusing on diverse groups.
Prototyping & Design: Building early prototypes, often through co-creation with users.
Agile Development: Iterative development with regular testing.
Launch & Feedback Loop: Continuous feedback collection post-launch, leading to rapid iterations.
Scale & Adaptation: Ensuring the product works for a larger, more diverse audience, adjusting to local needs.
Why Our Approach is Better
Our approach is better because
We prioritize care ethics from the beginning, ensuring that technology serves the well-being of marginalized groups, rather than focusing solely on profit and efficiency. This makes our process more socially responsible and equitable.
We embed participatory design early, co-creating with marginalized communities to ensure the technology meets their specific needs. This leads to more inclusive and effective solutions that traditional approaches often overlook.
We build trust and transparency from the outset, providing users with a clear understanding of how their data is handled. This fosters long-term trust and engagement, especially from communities that are historically wary of technology.
We maintain continuous, empowering feedback loops, ensuring that marginalized voices shape every iteration of the technology. This is more inclusive than the typical approach, which often focuses only on performance improvements.
We take a holistic approach, combining care ethics with participatory design to create technology that is both functional and socially conscious. This ensures that marginalized communities are central to the process, not treated as an afterthought.
