‘Thanks to its popularity, the number [of downloads] is increasing by about 10,000 every month,’ said police. Photograph: Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images

Japanese women took it to the next level to stop groping on train

Digi Police is an app which enables victims of groping to show other passengers when a woman is being molested. The app will activate a voice shouting “Stop it!” and bring up a full-screen message reading “There is a molester. Please help”.

The application has been downloaded for more than 237,000 times. The app is considered as a high figure public service app, according to police.

Groping is a primary problem in Japanese public transport. The police have recorded almost 900 cases of groping and other forms of harassment in 2017. A police official, Keiko Toyamine, said that victims were often reluctant to call for help. The app allows the victim to alert other passengers while staying silent.
The app was originally launched three years ago to alarm people about financial scams and provide security information to parents and children. However, the new function to alert victims of molesters was added a few months after.

Offenders will face up to six months in prison or pay fines around 500,000 yen. If there are any threats or violence, the potential sentence may rise to 10 years in prison. 

There is also a new fixture in Japanese public transportation which is the women-only train carriages. The carriages are available during the busy morning and evening commutes.