leadership

Mercedes Molloy is an IGNITE Leader on Fire

3/31/21 4:00 PM by Deshani Semaan

Content warning: Sexual assault

IGNITE has selected the founder of the Safe Squad app, Mercedes Molloy, as one of the Leaders on Fire for Sexual Assault Awareness month 2021.

Safe Squad - Mercedes Molloy started the Safe Squad app idea at the age of 13 with just a pen and paper. When she started college, she worked to develop the app and made it accessible for people around the world. The Safe Squad app is a mutually inclusive, discrete app that is designed to look like a calendar. The app notifies your emergency contacts in situations where you are unsafe.

This interview with Mercedes Molloy, founder of the Safe Squad app, was edited for length and clarity.

Q&A with Mercedes

Is there anything you want us to know about your founder’s story that we can't find on the Safe Squad website?

The website and online articles show my progression as a survivor. It also emphasizes how I didn’t have support as a survivor at the time because there was no Women’s March. The reason I created the app was because I didn’t want the next person to say “me too”.

I looked for support online for my own personal use and I came across some apps that were great in theory but not mutually inclusive. There was always a cost associated with them and I’m a college student so I really couldn’t see that as a sustainable model. I’m all about mutual inclusivity regardless of gender, identity, sexual orientation and socioeconomic background. I wanted to bring about a solution but I wasn’t sure how.

So I started the creation process at the age of 13 and developed the app during college. I would have never imagined it would have transformed into what it is now. It’s about the potential of even helping one person. Going from pen and paper to being available in over 20 countries is unbelievable.

Your field of work is so multifaceted. How and why did you focus in on this area central to the Safe Squad app?

There are so many areas to address when it comes to sexual assault. There’s rape culture, consent education, dress codes. My idea was more about presentation and communication. We should not have to carry keys between our hands and resort to drastic measures in order to feel safe. Women can have the Safe Squad app and not worry about having to look over their shoulder.

The app is camouflaged so that a potential perpetrator would not be able to recognize it as a safety app. We are one of the first survivor-created apps, created by survivors for survivors. Rates of sexual assault and domestic violence have risen during the pandemic since some are unfortunately quarantined with their abusers. I want to spread awareness that this is the reality for so many people and think about how we can change the conversation.

If you wrote a piece of legislation, what big structural change would you hope to tackle for survivors or sexual assault prevention?

I would want to reinforce consent education as a legally mandated requirement. For high school students, it’s not something that’s talked about and it can lead to problems later on. High school students are at a point in their life where they’re transitioning to adulthood and experiencing independence for the first time, usually within the first semester of college. That’s when we see these incidents occur because of a lack of education. Consent education is a program that would have to be advocated for that is readily available and taught within the education system itself. I think that would be pretty incredible.

What advice do you have for others who want to be part of the solution in ending sexual assault?

If someone has had such an experience already, reassure them that it’s okay to be able to come forward and share your story and that there will be others to support you. I had this perception that I wouldn’t necessarily be supported if I came forward. Know that there is support, there are resources available, and there are ways that you can be part of survivor-based advocacy even if you haven’t had such an experience but are interested in helping survivors. Our campus ambassador program is a great way to be actively engaged on campus and address issues that are of importance in relation to sexual assault, Title IX and safety. We’ve been talking about what transpired with Sarah Everard recently, and that’s something a lot of women have felt. Most women have had to walk home at night and have to check in with a friend. Knowing that if that can happen to her, that it can happen to them. For anyone who wants to be actively engaged, just know that you’re never too young and that it starts with taking initiative and dispelling any societal pressure.

What's your self-care plan? What advice do you have for others concerning self-care?

As a survivor, self-care is so important. Healing is not linear, it’s a journey. I think there’s this misconception that it is linear but it’s a day-by-day thing. Certain events can make you react a certain way. Remember that it’s okay to not be perfect and just to have moments where you’re vulnerable and fall apart. Give yourself the time and space to do that and know that it’s okay.

Also, I have a busy schedule to maintain whether it’s running my mobile app, being a full-time college student or interning with IGNITE. I think recognizing that I have to separate my work from my social life is what allows me to have a balance. During the pandemic, a lot of us are working from home, so it’s nice to go outside and work to get a little bit of an escape. Take time to relax and rejuvenate.

What message would you send to survivors?

You’re not alone. It was really traumatic and hard to overcome. I want to be a voice for the voiceless and for those who are unable to speak out. There are so many people who have this experience but, because of their circumstances, they’re unable to pursue legal action or get the justice that they deserve. Know that you’re really deserving of love and relationships regardless of what happened.

Let's pay it forward - what are two or three other people/organizations working in this space that you admire and would recommend?

Maya Siegel, who is a fellow survivor, has an amazing organization called Space to Speak which is an online community of people who are sharing their stories. The Phoenix Project, which was founded by Melissa Barker, is also an online survivor community and soon to be a survivor app. The survivor community is so small that when we’re able to work collaboratively together, it’s something that’s really incredible.