Callisto was a nymph and a follower of Artemis. Disguised as Artemis, Zeus sexually assaulted Callisto. Callisto became pregnant, and, when her pregnancy was discovered, Artemis expelled her from her group. Unfortunately, today, like Callisto, too many survivors fear immediately reporting their sexual assault, particularly when the perpetrator holds the keys to their academic or professional future. And too often, when they do report, their worst fears are realized.
In 2015, spurred by her own experience and background in sexual health, Jess Ladd founded “Callisto.” Callisto, which was originally geared toward address sexual assault on college campuses, allows survivors of sexual assault to create secure, encrypted, and time-stamped reports of their sexual assault. The app therefore allows survivors to immediately preserve a report of sexual assault on their own terms, and at a time, place, and pace that is best for them. No one can see the details of a report without the survivor’s explicit consent, as the reports are encrypted in a way that not even the Callisto team can view. If they wish, survivors can input their perpetrator’s identity under the condition that, if a match is found, a coordinator will individually reach out to each survivor to identify necessary next steps. Finally, survivors can electronically send the record that they have created directly to their academic institution to trigger an investigation or a consultation. Universities that partner with Callisto receive a school-specific website, along with training and materials to roll it out to their students, and they may even elect to receive aggregate data reports.
