The YWCA has launched a free iPhone app aimed at helping young women who find themselves in difficult or dangerous situations.

The group's Safety Siren application will send an urgent SOS email to a friend or family member that shows the user's location on a map.

It will also automatically dial the number the user has chosen as her emergency contact.

The safety call and email can be activated with a button or shake of the phone. The user can opt for the shake option, designed by YWCA software developers, when she picks her settings.

"It's the first of its kind," a YWCA spokeswoman said.

The app also offers:

  • A Q&A about women's sexual health, focused on dating.
  • Tips on safety and well-being.
  • Links to YWCAs and emergency and crisis resource centres across Canada.

"Access to information about sexual health, wellness and safety is absolutely essential, and girls need it where they live, and they live on their phones," said Paulette Senior, the YWCA's Canadian CEO.

Safety Siren, launched Friday, is part of YWCA’s Power of Being a Girl anti-violence program, funded by the federal government's Social Development Partnerships Program.

The app is geared at women but available to anyone for free in Apple's App Store.