CHONGQING, China -- UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, in partnership with KnowDeaf, an organization dedicated to the rights of and services for women with hearing disabilities, launched a mobile app to address the health and safety of women with hearing impairments in Chongqing in December 2024. The app is aimed at raising awareness and knowledge  on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and protecting women with hearing impairments from domestic violence and gender discrimination. 

Targeting women and girls with hearing disabilities nationwide, the app provides easily accessible knowledge and information that cover the following:

• Risk assessment: By completing questionnaires, users can learn whether they are in a volatile or abusive relationship, and whether they are experiencing or at risk of experiencing violence from their partners or family members, and the level of that risk.
• Sign language support: Users can book an online sign language interpreter that offers free services, to help them overcome language barriers when seeking healthcare, legal or other services to address domestic violence.
• Service map navigation: The app collects and provides one-stop information on the anti-domestic violence services available nationwide, including a list of hospitals, legal support and social services. 

“There are millions of women with hearing impairments in China. They may face the risk of being neglected, misunderstood, or even harmed in all aspects of life. Many of them cannot hear the outside voices, but more importantly, their voices often go unheard. We choose ‘orange’ not only because it is the colour that represents no violence, but also it symbolizes vitality and hope; we use ‘no more silence’ to tell every hearing-impaired woman that you are not alone,” Peng Linqian, the lead of the app and KnowDeaf explained.

The orange color is also used by the United Nations to symbolize the fight against violence, serving as a powerful visual representation of solidarity and action.

A UNFPA global survey indicates that women and young persons with disabilities are up to ten times more likely than their peers without disabilities to experience gender-based violence. They also have fewer opportunities to access sexual and reproductive health information and services.

Under the framework of the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNFPA, together with UNESCO, and ILO, under the guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator Office, has worked closely to address issues such as accessibility, education, employment, and sexual and reproductive health for persons with disabilities. 

“This app marks UNFPA’s innovative practice in implementing the UNPRPD project and reaffirms UNFPA’s commitment to eliminating violence and discrimination against women with hearing disabilities,” commented Wen Hua, Programme Specialist of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, UNFPA China. 

In addition to the app launch, throughout 2024, UNFPA and KnowDeaf trained 50 representatives from organizations of persons with disabilities and the health sector on information and services on sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence for women and young persons with disabilities. The training was based on the Chinese version of the global workshop curriculum “Our Bodies, Our Rights,” developed jointly by UNFPA and Women Enabled International.

• For more information, please contact: 

Shujun Liu, Communications Analyst, UNFPA China, sliu@unfpa.org.