Vancouver non-profit launches ‘Creep Off’ text service to track sexual harassment

A new initiative has been launched to better understand and track sexual harassment in Vancouver — it’s called Creep Off.

Users who experience non-emergency assault can text a local number and they’ll be prompted to answer questions about the incident.

The data will help stakeholders be able to see where, and what kind of abuse people are experiencing.

Funding to create the pilot project came from the UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning’s 2018 Innovation Grant.

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Co-founder Ashtyn Bevan with Good Night Out Vancouver says it’s the first of its kind in Canada.

Bevan said they will be using the data to hold local nightlife venues accountable.

“They say harassment doesn’t happen in their space, so hopefully from the data that we collect, we can show them that it does occur there.”

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Bevan hopes at the end of the pilot project in two months, they can show the results to local government.

She’s reminding users, however, that Creep Off should not be used in emergencies. If you’re experiencing danger, contact police.

You can text 778-800-3822 to report non-emergency incidents to Creep Off.