“Text me when you get home.”

We say it with love — but it’s also said out of fear. Because for too many, walking alone at night isn’t safe.

Feeling unsafe in public areas after dusk has a disproportionately negative impact on womxn compared to male-presenting people. In fact:

︎︎︎ In the UK, almost two-thirds of women report that when walking alone at night, they always or often feel unsafe (Independent, 2021).

︎︎︎ Globally, about 54% of women say they feel unsafe walking alone at night in public spaces (UN Women, 2021).

︎︎︎ Across 39 countries, 46% of women say they don’t feel confident walking alone at night in their own neighbourhoods (WIN World Survey, 2021).

These figures aren’t just numbers — they reflect lives constrained. Because of chronic fear, many womxn alter their routes, avoid public transport, or limit their activities after dark. Safety becomes a hidden tax on personal freedom.

What feels like a simple route home for some becomes a high-stakes decision for others. According to UN Women, tools like safety apps and helplines can literally be life-saving for marginalised individuals (UN Women, 2021). But these are only stopgaps.

We must build cities where nobody has to text to announce they made it home safe — where walking alone at night is a basic right, not an act of courage.

As a response we created Dusk
- safety solution for womxn
& LGBTQ+ community.

     

Dusk consists of an app and
a handheld device:

The app connects you to a real-time support network, allowing friends or nearby allies to follow your route and respond quickly if you feel unsafe. It turns solitary journeys into moments of shared protection.

The key fob called Luna— a discreet, screenless companion — pairs with the app and contains a GPS tracker. With one press, it instantly alerts chosen contacts and nearby users, sending your location even if your phone is out of reach.

Together, the app and Luna form a two-layer safety system, offering immediate help and ongoing companionship so no one has to walk home in fear.

SOS
Send an instant alert to trusted friends, nearby allies, and local authorities in any emergency — help is just one tap away.

MAPS
Find the safest routes home and share feedback by rating your walking buddies — every step makes the network stronger.

BUDDIES
Connect with verified night-walk companions. The app carefully screens every user, creating a trusted community of safe late-night walkers.

KNOWLEDGE
Build confidence through self-defence classes, workshops, events, and in-app training, giving you the skills to stay aware and in control.

When in danger — or if your phone battery dies — Luna provides an immediate lifeline. A single press of its SOS button sends your exact location to trusted contacts and local authorities, while triggering a high-decibel alarm (over 120 dB) and a powerful strobe light designed to startle or temporarily disorient an attacker.

For moments of rising unease, a simple squeeze updates your status to “nervous,” quietly alerting your selected buddies to check in or stay on standby.

These features address a critical reality: more than 80 % of assaults occur when victims are alone, and around 1 in 3 women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2021). Luna offers a layered defence system, ensuring help can be summoned instantly — even without a phone.

Safety shouldn’t depend on chance or heavy gear.
This belief shaped Dusk: a two-part system — an intuitive app and a discreet key fob — built for real-time protection and community support. The next chapters show how design and technology combine to make safety immediate, accessible, and collective.

We created Dusk as an app to keep safety tools within everyone’s reach. Since nearly all of us carry smartphones, the app provides instant access without extra cost, while allowing continuous updates, safe-route mapping, alerts, and community features — protection in every pocket.

The key form draws on an instinct many already know: gripping keys tightly when feeling unsafe. Luna transforms that reflex into true protection. A natural squeeze discreetly signals “nervous” or instantly triggers the SOS alarm and flashing light, turning an anxious habit into an empowering, purpose-built safety tool.

Our solution is more than an app — it’s a movement.

By standing for one another, this community transforms fear into collective strength and starts changing the very statistics that make night walks unsafe.

Together, we can rewrite the numbers.