Following sexual assault and rape allegations against several drivers, Uber is pledging $5 million to sexual assault prevention groups.
According to Gizmodo, the groups include Raliance, National Network to End Domestic Violence, No More, Women of Color Network, Casa de Esperanza, A Call to Men, and The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. The $5 million pledge will roll out over the next five years.
The company is also pledging money towards “an employee training program and in-app messaging to educate riders and drivers.”
The pledge comes after numerous rape and sexual assault allegations from passengers against Uber drivers.
Just this month, a San Antonio-based Uber driver was accused of “taking an unconscious female passenger to his home where he allegedly sexually assaulted her,” while in July, a driver was charged with the rape of a 16-year-old passenger in Australia.
In 2015, a British actress was also allegedly verbally abused by a “Sharia” Uber driver who claimed she was dressed “disgustingly.”
“We have spent months learning from experts and doing what we feel is an important first step: Listening,” claimed Uber in a blog post announcing the pledge. “From having honest conversations with experts who are on the front lines tirelessly raising awareness of sexual assault and domestic violence everyday, to asking ourselves some important questions. How can we best use our resources? How can we activate our vast global network of users – including riders and drivers – and employees to raise awareness and drive prevention? How can we be part of the solution?”
“As a result of this ongoing collaboration we have begun to make important changes internally and will commit to use Uber’s scope and visibility to help drive awareness, education and prevention of sexual assault and domestic violence to millions globally,” they continued, adding, “The $5 million commitment over five years will fund programmatic partnerships focused on prevention.”
“Uber’s technology enhances safety for riders and drivers in ways that weren’t possible before such as GPS tracking, the ability to share a trip with family and friends, and 24/7 support through the app,” the company declared. “We use technology to increase accountability and transparency such as providing riders with driver and car information before a trip and our two-way feedback system and features like Real-Time ID Check which help verify that the right driver is behind the wheel. Continuing to invest in this technology and develop new products that contribute to the safety of everyone who drives and rides using the app is a top priority.”
Concluding their blog post, Uber proclaimed, “We will continue to listen, learn, collaborate and build on our commitment to prevent sexual assault and domestic violence. Many other efforts have already been set in motion from global listening tours, to internal speaker series, to engaging employee volunteerism. We choose not to remain silent but to join other leading corporations and organizations pioneering efforts in this area.”
In September, Uber lost its license to operate in London, being publicly deemed as “not fit and proper” to function in the city, while this month it was reported that the company is subject to five criminal probes from the Justice Department.
Uber previously attacked Breitbart News, demanding its advertisements be removed from the website, and declaring that the ridesharing company wants “nothing to do” with Breitbart News and its readers.
Sayfullo Saipov, the man behind the Halloween terrorist attack in New York, was also an Uber driver and passed background checks.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington and Gab @Nash, or like his page at Facebook.