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"  Earlier this year, filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman co-created a free safety app\u2014called Circle of 6\u2014to help users evade dangerous situations that could lead to rape. Here, she tells Cosmo how being the victim of a sexual assault inspired her to help other young women. Q. How does Circle of 6 work? A. Download the app, and you&amp;#039;re asked to choose six friend contacts, so you become a &amp;#039;circle of six&amp;#039; who reach out and protect one another. For example, it&amp;#039;s late and you need a safe ride home. Tap the car icon, and a message goes out with your GPS coordinates telling your circle you need to be picked up. Or say a creepy guy has cornered you at a party. Tap the phone icon, and it asks your circle to call you so you can fake an interruption. It&amp;#039;s not for life-threatening scenarios but situations that could escalate if you don&amp;#039;t get help now. (Click here for a demo.)  Q. Why did you get involved in developing an app? A. Last year, Vice President Joe Biden&amp;#039;s office challenged designers to build an app that would combat sexual assault. I thought it was a great idea. I&amp;#039;ve been involved in sexual violence prevention for years; I started an organization called The Line campaign that creates media to fight sexual assault, and I made a documentary, &amp;quot;The Line,&amp;quot; which is about establishing boundaries in sexual relationships. I was thrilled when Circle of Six won first place! Q. What has the response been? A. Incredible! We have nearly 28,000 downloads in less than 2 months. College-age women definitly relate to it. Q. How did your own sexual assault influence your efforts? A. I was sexually assaulted by a coworker when I was 24 years old. This was someone I knew and I trusted who didn&amp;#039;t look like a rapist. I felt filled with shame and very vulnerable. I understand where victims are coming from, and I don&amp;#039;t want any other woman to go through what I endured. You can download the free app (it&amp;#039;s available on iPhone\u2014soon on Droid) here.  Click here for more information on how to fight campus rape. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/news/a10236/rape-app/>