Gender Ministry Signs Contract With Amber for Domestic Violence App

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport has signed a contract with Amber Innovations for the development of the JamSafe App to strengthen Jamaica’s response to gender-based violence (GBV).

JamSafe is a technology-based platform, which will connect people experiencing or at risk of gender-based violence, with emergency assistance, support services, information and referral mechanisms.

Speaking at the contract-signing ceremony held on August 14 at the Ministry’s Offices in Kingston, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange said the agreement represents an important step in ensuring that persons affected by GBV can access assistance quickly, safely and discreetly.

Ms. Grange noted that its development fulfils a commitment made by the Government to provide an application to assist in the fight against gender-based violence.

She explained that the App will provide emergency alerts, parish-based service navigation, 24-hour helpline access, AI-assisted support and data collection for reporting and case management.

She further explained that the platform is intended to facilitate rapid emergency response and real-time communication, while supporting data-driven policy, resource tracking and service delivery.

The application will also incorporate preventative and early intervention support, including counselling, and is being designed to function without mobile data or credit.

“This agreement with Amber Group moves us from concept to implementation, and I am proud to say that we have negotiated with Amber where a concept has become a reality,” she said.

Ms. Grange said the Ministry, through the Bureau of Gender Affairs, will work closely with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in overseeing services delivered through the platform.

“The two primary entities that will connect in this app and have the oversight for the management of the services that will come through this app will be the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, Sport through the Bureau of Gender Affairs and the Jamaica Constabulary Force, which will treat with matters that need police intervention,” she explained.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer of the Amber Group, Ambassador Dushyant Savadia, said the company was proud to support the initiative, which he described as an achievement for Jamaica.

He said the platform would extend beyond a conventional mobile application, incorporating an interconnected system to link multiple agencies involved in responding to persons in distress.

He explained that artificial intelligence (AI) will be used to help verify alerts, reducing false notifications and allowing the relevant authorities to concentrate on genuine cases.

“A lot of people hit panic buttons for a lot of reasons, but AI will be the one who will call first to the citizen and ask, are you safe? Are you okay? And if they were just fooling around or they just wanted to test or they accidentally hit it, it will verify, not clog our government systems,” he said.

The system will also include an electronic case-management component linking agencies, including the JCF and Bureau of Gender Affairs, to facilitate the management of cases through to resolution.

Mr. Savadia said Amber’s aim is to use technology to help ensure that the appropriate response reaches persons in distress.

Managing Director, Amber Group, Caribbean, Nicole Brown, said the company viewed the initiative as part of its commitment to nation building and innovation.

“This is not something that we’re taking off a shelf. This is something that we have together co-created and we will have the pleasure of building that solution for deployment in just a few months,” she said.

She said the company expects the solution to have significant impact in addressing GBV.

Meanwhile, Minister Grange said the Ministry will continue working with its partners during the development phase to ensure that the platform is responsive to the needs of its intended users.

“Today’s signing represents our shared commitment to using innovation and partnership to strengthen the support available to persons affected by gender-based violence,” she said.