Centre to launch new chatbot to aid gender-based violence victims
A chatbot dubbed ‘Ame ,’ which is an App used to help clients get GBV services over the phone will soon be launched by Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Centre (BGBVC) together with other organisations.
The centre has noticed that since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions of movement, the number of cases of GBV has increased dramatically. BGBVC Chief Executive Officer Lorato Molausi said that a majority of these cases, however, go unreported as survivors are often silenced and end up suffering in silence.
To respond to this, BGBVC in partnership with Xavier Africa, Stepping Stones International (SSI), WoMen Against Rape (WAR) and the Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) have designed an AI powered autonomous conversational agent (chatbot) on WhatsApp to help survivors get on-demand information, report abuse for evidence gathering and request psychosocial support. Moalusi told The Midweek Sun that for psychological support, reports of 2020 January to date are at 1496 in which 1193 people faced emotional abuse, while 149 was registered for sexual abuse, 18 for economic abuse, 136 for physical abuse. Moalusi also shared that ‘The Botswana National Relationship Study of 2018’ shows that GBV cases that were reported in this study were actually seven times less than what is reported to the police. Furthermore, some reported cases get withdrawn, and the study shows that between 2015 and 2016, 5446 women and 2092 men withdrew cases of GBV that they had lodged with the police. She believes that with the Ame App in place, these issues would be solved amicably. Xavier Africa, according to Accounts Executive Leloba Lijane, who also works with BGBVC, is a bespoke software development agency specialising in helping organisations eliminate operational and structural inefficiencies using digital solutions.
She said that they are excited to be part of the Ame initiative, to restore people’s lives and give them peace of mind while using the App. “We identify and solve recurring predicaments within the African landscape through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning,” she says. “With the COVID-19 movement restrictions, especially during lockdown, we realised that the traditional methods of reporting and seeking assistance had been compromised, with survivors being unable to easily access police stations, clinics and other available services,” adds Lijane. She tells this publication that they then identified the need for survivors to access these services remotely, efficiently and safely. She explains that this would also allow survivors to express themselves on anonymity and report without the fear of judgment or having to speak to multiple people at the same time, which they could find overwhelming. Lijane says that they hope to increase the ease of reporting GBV issues, with this App as well as offering assistance on time.