About Us old

Because Everyone Deserves to Feel Safe.

About Operation Safe Escape

Quick Facts

  • Founded in 2016
  • 501c3 nonprofit organization
  • Over 3000 successful escapes (and counting)

Our mission:

to make sure that every person impacted by domestic violence has the resources, information, and confidence that they need to leave their abuser and stay safe once they do.

What we do:

We fight against domestic violence in three ways. First is by empowering the individuals impacted by domestic violence, helping them (and their children) turn from victims to survivors. We help to develop secure communication channels with their support system and local shelters, and then build on that to provide security and safety guidance relevant to their current step in the process.

Next, we make sure that the survivor has a safe place to go. To do this, we work with shelters, safe houses, support systems, social services, and advocacy groups in developing security solutions and training staff on counter-surveillance, physical security, cybersecurity, and other security concepts. The goal is to make sure all heroes fighting against domestic violence are safe.

Finally, we work with partners, policymakers, and legal resources to help provide resources and address any training gaps related to the technical aspects of abuse, stalking, harassment, and other crimes. We work with experts all over the country to help them understand the challenges that victims of domestic violence (and increasingly often, human trafficking) face even after the abuser has been removed from the home. We’re in the process of capturing some of these lessons learned in a formal training program.

Naturally, everything we do is free. We don’t charge individuals–not even shipping costs when we send them resources and tools. We don’t charge organizations for when we help them improve their security posture or stand up a formal program. We don’t charge departments or agencies for consulting and training. We only have one goal: to make sure everyone can feel safe.

Guiding Principles

  • The client always has agency- they have final say
  • We will never charge clients or partners for our help
  • We work with partners, social services, therapists, and law enforcement to ensure a holistic approach
  • We will be advocate to lawmakers and private industry
  • Provide effective training to other allies and advocates
  • Help provide the security layer, allowing our partner to focus on providing the critical services
  • We do not betray the faith and confidence of our clients, and do not engage other entities without their express permission. This also means that we don’t report citizenship status, which is a common threat made by abusers to discourage a survivor from seeking help
  • We do not discriminate based on age, gender or gender expression, sexual orientation, marriage status, citizenship, or any other demographic

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzMT-LEhw0Q
A description of how Operation Safe Escape works, from a talk by Chris Cox at the BSides DC security conference in 2019

Operation Safe Escape in the Media and Press