WOMEN AND GIRLS
SAFETY POLICY

OUR POSITION

HALO places the dignity, agency and safety of women and girls at the centre of how we design services, build partnerships and make decisions.

Safety is not a slogan or a single feature. It is an ongoing responsibility that must influence our service design, recruitment, training, technology, communications, data practices, partnerships and response to concerns.

We recognise that violence, abuse, harassment and restrictions on freedom of movement are disproportionately experienced by women and girls. HALO exists to help create greater freedom, reassurance and choice.

WHO THIS POLICY PROTECTS

This policy is focused on women and girls. A girl is anyone under the age of 18.

Our women-first approach includes women from every background. We recognise that risks and barriers can be intensified by racism, disability, poverty, age, immigration status, religion, pregnancy, sexuality, gender identity, caring responsibilities and other forms of inequality.

Protecting women and girls does not require HALO to minimise harm experienced by men and boys. Every genuine safety concern should be treated seriously and respectfully.

WHAT SAFETY MEANS TO HALO

Safety includes physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, digital and economic safety.

Relevant harms can include:

• Domestic abuse
• Sexual violence and sexual harassment
• Stalking
• Coercive or controlling behaviour
• Exploitation and trafficking
• Technology-facilitated abuse
• Image-based abuse
• Discriminatory harassment
• Harmful conduct connected to a journey or workplace

Safety also includes dignity, privacy, accessibility, clear information and the ability to make informed choices.

OUR COMMITMENTS

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Girls under 18 require additional safeguards. HALO will define clear age, booking and supervision requirements before any service is made available to children or families.

We will not assume that a service suitable for an adult is automatically suitable for a child.

Where HALO’s work involves children, we will establish appropriate safeguarding arrangements, safer recruitment measures, reporting routes and information-sharing rules.

RESPONDING TO DISCLOSURES

When someone tells HALO about harm or a safety concern, our response should be calm, respectful and focused on immediate needs.

HALO will aim to:

• Listen without blame, pressure or disbelief.
• Check whether there is immediate danger or an urgent medical need.
• Explain the limits of confidentiality.
• Avoid asking for unnecessary traumatic details.
• Record relevant facts carefully and securely.
• Explain available options.
• Be honest about what HALO can and cannot do.
• Escalate concerns in accordance with the relevant procedures.
• Signpost people to specialist support when appropriate.

HALO HEART AND TECHNOLOGY

HALO’s safety functions should be designed around genuine user needs and tested for usability, accessibility, reliability and unintended consequences.

Every safety feature should have a clear purpose, responsible owner, known limitations, escalation process and data-retention approach.

GPS, journey check-ins, recordings, trusted contacts, identity checks and alerts may support risk reduction and response, but no technology can guarantee that harm will not occur.

DRIVERS WORKERS AND WORKPLACES

Women working with HALO must be protected as well as customers. HALO will aim to create working arrangements that do not transfer unreasonable safety, financial or emotional burdens onto drivers or frontline workers.

As operations develop, HALO will establish procedures covering lone working, customer conduct, harassment, journey concerns, incident escalation, wellbeing, complaints and restrictions.

Workers should be able to raise genuine concerns without fear of retaliation.

PARTNERS SPONSORS AND SUPPLIERS

HALO will seek to work with organisations that respect women and girls, human rights, safeguarding, equality, privacy and responsible business conduct.

We may undertake proportionate checks before accepting funding, sponsorship, services or a public association.

HALO may decline, suspend or end a relationship where conduct, ownership, public statements, working practices or unresolved allegations create a serious conflict with this policy.

A partnership or sponsorship will not give another organisation control over HALO’s safety decisions, complaints or research findings.

COMMUNICATIONS AND RESEARCH

HALO will not sensationalise violence or use fear, survivor stories or safety statistics simply to attract attention.

Research and campaign content should be accurate, appropriately sourced and presented with context.

Personal stories, photographs and quotations require informed permission. Additional care must be taken where identification could create a risk.

Our language will place responsibility for abuse on those who cause it—not on women and girls for where they travel, what they wear, whether they reported or how they responded.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND REVIEW

The Founder and CEO owns this policy until HALO appoints a designated safeguarding or safety lead.

HALO will review this policy at least annually and sooner if our services change, serious learning arises, or relevant law or official guidance changes.

The current version and review date will be published on the HALO website.