In the shadow war against domestic violence, silence can be both a weapon of oppression and a strategy of survival. For abusers, silence hides their crimes. For survivors, it may be the only way to stay alive—or to stay one step ahead.
On an early Thursday morning, I spoke with Liz Kohler, founder of Nexion Solutions, a technology company whose discreet, wearable safety device is quietly reshaping how survivors access help.
“The device needs to stay discreet,” she told me over the phone. “People are very respectful of that. It’s a delicate balance.”
That balance between invisibility and intervention, discretion and justice, is the heart of Nexion’s mission.
The device, which resembles a common accessory, transmits real-time GPS, biometric, and audio data to trained dispatchers, who then coordinate an immediate law enforcement response. Crucially, it does so without tipping off the abuser.
“It’s not an app,” Kohler said. “It doesn’t advertise. That’s intentional. We talk about outcomes, not products. We rely on word-of-mouth. Our users become advocates.”
These outcomes are becoming more urgent in communities like Rochester, which continues to face staggering rates of interpersonal and domestic violence. According to the Rochester Police Department’s 2023 data, over 4,000 domestic incident reports were filed—an average of more than 11 per day. In Monroe County, domestic violence accounted for 15% of all homicides. Statewide, New York reports some of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the country.
Behind these statistics are mothers, teenagers, and children whose lives hang in the balance.
Taylor Gillette, an analyst who previously worked with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, understands this dual-edged role of technology intimately. “In my past work supporting survivors of image-based sexual abuse and exploitation, technology was both a threat and a tool,” she told me. “We integrated tech safety by educating survivors on secure communication—encrypted messaging apps, two-factor authentication, privacy settings—and using anonymized email addresses and secure cloud storage for important documents.”
But Gillette also pointed out the constant digital risks: geotagging, spyware, online impersonation. “We remained hyper-aware of digital stalking,” she added, underscoring just how essential it is for any safety tech to be truly undetectable.
Kohler recounted one case in which a survivor—let’s call her Maya—used the device more than 30 times to protect herself from three different abusers, including a known gang member who had trafficked her. “None of them ever knew what she was doing,” Kohler said. “But once one of them found out, his behavior changed. Just knowing the device existed acted as a deterrent.”
“It changes the dynamics of credibility,” Kohler noted. “It’s no longer one person’s word against another, it’s a data trail.”
The average response time from device activation to emergency dispatch is just seven seconds. In crises, that difference can be lifesaving. And unlike a smartphone, which can be silenced, smashed, or stolen, the wearable remains hidden and functional.
“This isn’t about a tech glitch,” Kohler emphasized. “This is about closing a lethal gap.”
And yet, despite their clear promise, technologies like Nexion’s often operate in legal and institutional limbo.
“One major gap,” Gillette noted, “is the disconnect between law enforcement, advocacy agencies, and the courts. Many cases, especially those involving tech-facilitated abuse, are mishandled or dismissed due to lack of training and technological literacy.”
She also stressed that survivors face immense structural barriers when trying to leave. “There’s a critical lack of accessible, low-barrier housing for survivors,” she said, “which makes escaping not just difficult, but sometimes impossible.”
Technology alone won’t solve these deeper, systemic failures. Gillette emphasized that a truly survivor-centered model must be broader than crisis response. “It begins with listening to survivors, especially those who’ve been historically silenced,” she said. “That means trauma-informed, culturally competent care, mobile advocacy teams, legal accompaniment, and non-police response options. It also means building trust in communities where formal systems have caused harm.”
Perhaps most heartbreakingly, Gillette shared a personal story that haunts her work. “One of the most damaging misconceptions is that leaving an abusive relationship means someone is safe. In reality, the most dangerous time for a survivor is often after they leave,” she said. “My 21-year-old cousin, who was pregnant, was trying to leave her partner. She wanted to keep the baby; he didn’t. We tragically lost her to domestic violence in 2021.”
These stories make the stakes painfully clear: safety is not just a moment, but a continuum.
In Rochester, advocates who know about Nexion’s technology are eager to incorporate the device into service offerings. One former staff member at Willow Domestic Violence Center shared, “So many of our clients would say, ‘No one believed me.’ A device like this shifts that narrative. Now there’s evidence—your voice, your vitals, your GPS. Your truth is recorded.”
Still, Gillette warned against a purely trauma-focused lens. “Survivors need more than safety,” she said. “They need community, dignity, and agency. That includes centering joy and rest, not just trauma. Survivors deserve to feel safe and whole throughout the entirety of their lives.”
Technology like Nexion’s might not offer justice in every case. But when every second matters, when a phone is out of reach or a voice can’t be raised, it can mean the difference between life and death.
Author Bio:
George Cassidy Payne is a freelance journalist, poet, and suicide prevention counselor based in Rochester, NY. His work explores the intersections of technology, justice, and human dignity. A former philosophy professor and longtime advocate for survivors of trauma, he writes for local and national publications on issues of public policy, mental health, and community healing.
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Main photo: iStock Inset photos supplied.
