In the wake of Sarah Everard's kidnap and murder, downloads of safety apps designed primarily for women have soared to record numbers. But one charity says this shows how far the conversation around gendered violence has to go and how it needs to include the perpetrators.  

The WalkSafe app has been the most downloaded from Apple's UK App Store since Monday. It ranked 967 on Thursday 11 March. The app gives "live updates… about any crime going on in your area" as well as check-in services, and a "Tap In" tool, which alerts contacts if the user feels unsafe.

Similar apps such as SafeUP, Safe & the City, and Hollie Guard (developed by the Hollie Gazzard Trust, set up after its namesake was murdered) have also jumped up both the overall ranks and the "Utilities" and "Tools" divisions. 

Although the data suggest women are again shouldering the burden of protecting themselves, the charity Respect, which works with men to stop domestic violence, said it's "encouraged" by the increased conversation about the actions and behavior of the perpetrators – not the victims. 

But the skyrocketing popularity of so-called "safety apps," for women to alert their contacts if they feel unsafe, shows how far the conversation around gendered violence in the UK has to go, the charity added. 

Respect is the accreditation body in the UK for the organizations that work with men who have perpetrated domestic violence, or are at risk of developing abusive behavior and relationships.

"We do encourage increased focus on the perpetrator's behavior, because if we only provide services to survivors, which we think is important ... we're only … working with the symptom of the problem," Ciara Bergman, head of delivery and development of Respect's outreach program, told CGTN Europe. 

"[But] we're disheartened to see the messaging around how women can keep themselves safe. While that may be helpful on one level, it's not accompanied by an equal and, indeed, increased level of messaging to people who are actually prone to being abusive about what they can do to change their behavior and stop their behavior," she added.

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One London-based organization that's trying to change men's behavior is abandofbrothers.

It offers mentoring by volunteers "including local businessmen, tradesmen, film makers, actors and even the chief executive of a large public company."

According to its website: "The organization was born out of concern at the continuing escalation of self-destructive and antisocial behavior among young men from every section of society, together with the realization that any meaningful and sustainable solution entails the reclamation of shared local responsibility." 

Although violence against women and sexual harassment is only one of the areas abandofbrothers looks to counter, the group argues it comes from the same root cause as many other issues affecting men. "The young men we meet have often experienced or witnessed domestic violence. They may have been abused or else kept someone else's abuse a secret," according to its website. 

Since 2018, the Make a Change project, which Bergman developed and now oversees, works in partnership with Women's Aid to train communities to give support or intervene where there is a risk of domestic violence. 

As well as working with those referred to the service, it offers workplace training and training for doctors and other community figures. 

"Workforce development ... so professionals who might be aware that someone they're working with is being abusive to a partner, will be able to recognize that and respond to it appropriately by making a referral to the Make a Change service," Bergman explained. 

If it sounds like Respect is in the business of excusing perpetrators, Bergman made it very clear this is not the case. 

"It isn't just about saying this is wrong, although that's part of it, that it's actually about thinking about what's causing this behavior, where's it coming from and what healthy, non-abusive attitudes, strategies can we give you for managing your intimate relationships better?"

And like the developers and charities behind WalkSafe and the other apps, Respect is looking to the digital world to reach people in need. 

"We're a partner in a tech versus abuse project. We're interested in exploring ways in which tech can be used to increase the safety and wellbeing of survivors. And I'm not sure that we kind of have those answers yet," she explained.