When large-scale protests began in Egypt in 2011, they were accompanied by reports of women being insulted, beaten and raped. An interactive map for reporting abuse is trying to ensure that the latest protests are not accompanied by a fresh wave of sexual attacksUse: the interactive map Read: growing concerns about sexual assault in Tahrir

When huge protests happen like the kind currently sweeping Egypt, it's hard enough to estimate the head-count of protesters, let alone the number of sexual assaults that might be happening within those crowds. HarassMap is trying to overcome that by providing Egyptians with a way to report incidents of sexual harassment.

How does it work?

Users can email, post a message on Facebook, Tweet or send an SMS message to inform HarassMap of incidents. The range of reporting methods is key - according to the latest numbers from the International Telecommunication Union (the UN's agency for ICT) 44% of Egyptians use the internet and 97% have a mobile phone subscription.

Members of a 500-strong team of volunteers - men and women from across Egypt's governorates - then review the reports. They check that the message received relates to a specific incident of sexual harassment, with a date, location and description rather than being a general statement about harassment.

While the focus is on reporting sexual harassment and improving awareness about its prevalence, volunteers also focus on response. SMS messages receive an automated response with information about legal assistance, psychological counseling, and even self defense classes.

Since awareness about the map is critical for its effectiveness, volunteers also speak to their neighbourhoods once a month to tell Egyptians how to speak up, and encourage them to do so.

Since the initiative was launched in December 2010 by a small team, HarassMap has received 1,068 reports. It's possible to read these reports in detail, and to filter them by date and incident type - these include phone calls, indecent exposure, stalking and rape.

Tools like HarassMap are invaluable for journalists as well as those trying to understand the risks they face - map users can choose reports specific to a location, search by media type (photos, videos and news reports are also mapped) and the reporting method (online form, SMS, email or Tweet).

HarassMap allows users to filter by various categories of sexual harassment. Click the image above to try it out for yourself

Limitations

There is also a filter for 'verified' and 'unverified' (currently 414 reports have been verified, 39% of the total) but there is no explanation available on the HarassMap website as to how they verify the reports they receive. There are also reasons to be concerned about vigilantism - the following quote from their website would seem to invite mob justice:

Harassers should be shamed. We can shame them together by taking a picture or video of a harasser or a harassment incident and posting it on our map.

Given that relatively few Egyptians speak English (30% of the population in urban areas, 5% in rural areas) the high number of reports in English might suggest several possible issues to bear in mind: foreigners may be more likely to be attacked, foreigners may be more likely to report attacks, foreigners may be more aware of HarassMap or bilingual Egyptians may believe that reporting in English is more powerful than reporting in Arabic.

The map is only as useful as it is used. In the past month, only seven reports have been made to HarassMap despite the heightened risks from the recent protests. One of these however mentions individuals usually charged with public safety:

A truck of riot police men in black uniform passed me when I was walking home from work and two of the police men stared at me and made comments from the truck.

Reports like these might prove invaluable in holding authority figures to account. What's more, the ability to provide research on sexual harassment is key to battling pervasive stereotypes. Their research found:

• Men as well as women were victims of sexual harassment

• Harassment is not limited to young women: older women, as well as children were mentioned as victims in the reports

• 3/4 of women were veiled at the time of the assault - a powerful counter to the argument that 'modesty' provides safety or that revealing clothes invite assault

• 62% of men in a separate survey confirmed they harass women

Do you think HarassMap is a powerful innovation for reporting sexual harassment or do you think it alleviates police from their responsibilities to deal with this? Do you think HarassMap is needed in your country? Share your views by posting a comment below or by tweeting to @MonaChalabi or @GuardianData.