Continued advancements in technology and realisation that abuse cases go unreported pushed for collaboration of Xavier Africa and several NGOs to create a technological tool that allows victims to have evidence collected and stored for future use if they decide to report abuse.
According to the Managing Director of Xavier Africa, Tavonga Muchuchuti, the company’s partner NGOs have leveraged Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to alleviate Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Botswana through an autonomous conversational agent (chatbot) on WhatsApp called AME.
He said the name Ame is relatable and common enough to throw abusers off. Muchuchuti told The Business Weekly & Review in an interview that their collaboration with Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Centre (BGBVC), Stepping Stones International (SSI), Women Against Rape (WAR) and the Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) is aimed at helping survivors of abuse get on-demand information, report abuse for evidence gathering and request psychosocial support.
Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent movement restrictions, GBV cases increased dramatically but 82.5 percent of affected people are not comfortable to report the cases within the first two to three days, which is very critical period for collection of evidence. “But the majority of these cases go unreported as survivors are often silenced and end up suffering in silence,” he said.
Regarding the tool, Muchuchuti said it will be easy to use as their research has shown Botswana is amongst top countries in the use of Whatsapp, hence using the platform to facilitate reporting of abuse, seeking assistance with shelter and psychosocial support, and asking for information through seamless, automated interaction.
Chatbot allows survivors a safe environment in these trying pandemic times to seek help while adhering to COVID-19 protocols, he added. The platform will be managed and monitored 24/7 by counsellors selected by the partner NGOs who will work around the clock to offer assistance to survivors who can interact with the platform at any time of the day.
The partners hope to remove the stigma that comes with GBV and thus to shatter the pattern of silence that enshrouds cases of GBV by offering survivors a voice and access help and support that is efficient and available.
