MediCapt: Documenting Forensic Evidence of Sexual Violence
Transforming the documentation and prosecution of sexual violence
Team Leader
Karen Naimer
MediCapt allows clinicians to capture sexual violence forensic evidence and securely transmit it to police and justice officials for investigations/prosecutions.
Hear the Pitch
The Problem
Every year, tens of thousands of adults and children are raped in conflict zones around the world. Most don’t report these crimes, and when some do, many cases fail due to poor evidence: forensic exams are rarely conducted, charts are incomplete, and clinicians and law enforcement officers don't communicate with each other.
The Solution
To change this trend, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) created MediCapt, a mobile app that connects medical and legal professionals to transform the documentation and prosecution of human rights violations. MediCapt makes it easier to capture, preserve, and transmit forensic evidence of sexual violence.
The app pairs a digital medical intake form with a secure mobile camera to allow clinicians to take forensic photos, capturing more compelling medical evidence. MediCapt includes sophisticated encryption, cloud data storage, high adherence to chain-of-custody standards, and tamper-proof metadata, so clinicians can securely save the evidence and transmit it to police, lawyers, and judges.
Market Opportunity
The app was intentionally designed to digitize any forensic form, in any language, and to adhere to the requirements of any legal jurisdiction.
MediCapt differs from current tools in that it provides a detailed, standardized medical form that guides clinicians in collecting forensic evidence for sexual violence, and to help communicate that evidence to the appropriate authorities.
Organization Highlights
Endorsed by several governments including the US Department of State, Dutch Foreign Ministry, UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, World Bank, and more
Awards:First place in the Safe Documentation category of 2013 USAID/Humanity United Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention
Speaking engagements: International Criminal Court, RightsCon, the World Bank, among others
MediCapt currently partners with stakeholders in Kenya and DRC, including:
Officials from the national- and county-level health authorities
Doctors, clinical officers, nurses, community health workers, and hospital administrators in rural and urban health facilities
Civil society organizations and survivor activists
Police, lawyers, and judges at the local and national levels
Organization Goals
MediCapt aims to:
Increase sources of investment and revenue
Provide its app to more users, countries, and officials
Partnership Goals
To reach these goals, MediCapt seeks partnerships to:
Consult on scaling digital product to new markets
Connect to new markets through partnerships with NGOs and governments
Consult on software security, privacy, interoperability, and open source
Consult on business strategy as the product scales to new markets
What is the name of your organization?
Physicians for Human Rights
What is the name of your solution?
MediCapt: Documenting Forensic Evidence of Sexual Violence
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
MediCapt allows clinicians to capture sexual violence forensic evidence and securely transmit it to police and justice officials for investigations/prosecutions.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
New York, NY
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Every year, tens of thousands of adults and children are raped in conflict zones globally. Most don't report these crimes, and when some do, many cases fail due to poor evidence: forensic exams are rarely conducted, charts are incomplete, and clinicians and law enforcement officers don't communicate with each other.
What is your solution?
To change this trend, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) with our end user partners co-designed MediCapt, a mobile app that connects medical and legal professionals to transform the documentation and prosecution of human rights violations. MediCapt makes it easier to capture, preserve, and transmit forensic evidence of sexual violence. The app pairs a standardized digital medical intake form with a secure mobile camera to allow clinicians to take forensic photos, capturing more comprehensive and compelling medical evidence. MediCapt includes sophisticated encryption, cloud data storage, high adherence to chain-of-custody standards, and tamper-proof metadata, so clinicians can securely save the evidence and transmit it to police, lawyers, and judges.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
MediCapt serves survivors of sexual violence by: 1) improving the quality of care they receive by supporting survivor-centered, trauma-informed practices and 2) facilitating more comprehensive and secure forensic medical documentation in order to increase their access to justice.
Stats
MediCapt launched with live patients in Kenya in October 2018.
220 forms have been submitted using MediCapt, allowing clinicians to capture forensic evidence of sexual violence and securely transmit it to police and justice officials.
Solver Team
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Headquarters: New York, NY, USA
Stage: Pilot
Working in: Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
