The Kenyan Survivors of Sexual Violence Network: Preserving Memory Evidence with a Bespoke Mobile Application to Increase Access to Vital Services and Justice

Laura M. Stevens, Elena Reid, Wangu Kanja, Sarah Rockowitz, Kari Davies, Shanaya Dosanjh, Brooke Findel and Heather D. Flowe
Additional contact information
Laura M. Stevens: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Elena Reid: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Wangu Kanja: The Wangu Kanja Foundation, Nairobi P.O. Box 12608, Kenya
Sarah Rockowitz: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Kari Davies: School of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Dorset BH12 5BB, UK
Shanaya Dosanjh: School of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Brooke Findel: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Heather D. Flowe: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Societies, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Police interviews gather detailed information from witnesses about the perpetrator that is crucial for solving crimes. Research has established that interviewing witnesses immediately after the crime maintains memory accuracy over time. However, in some contexts, such as in conflict settings and low-income countries, witness interviews occur after long delays, which decreases survivors’ access to vital services and justice. We investigated whether an immediate interview via a mobile phone application (SV_CaseStudy Mobile Application, hereafter MobApp) developed by the Kenyan Survivors of Sexual Violence Network preserves people’s memory accuracy over time. Participants ( N = 90) viewed a mock burglary and were then interviewed either immediately using MobApp or MobApp+ (which included additional questions about the offender’s behaviour) and again one week later ( n = 60), or solely after a one-week delay ( n = 30). We found that memory accuracy one week later was higher for participants immediately interviewed with MobApp or MobApp+ compared to those interviewed solely after a one-week delay. Additionally, memory accuracy was maintained for those interviewed with the mobile application across the one-week period. These findings indicate that the mobile phone application is promising for preserving memory accuracy in contexts where crimes are reported to the police after a delay.

Keywords: gender-based violence; sexual violence; Kenya; memory; behavioural crime linkage; access to justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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