Leonora Tima, a South African woman, launched a digital platform called Gender Rights in Tech (Grit) in response to the violent death of her 19-year-old relative, who was pregnant at the time of her murder in 2020. This tragedy highlighted the normalization of violence against women in South Africa, where such incidents often fail to garner media attention due to their frequency.
The killer was never apprehended, prompting Tima to create an app that allows users, particularly women, to discuss and document experiences of abuse. Grit includes an AI-powered chatbot named Zuzi, which serves as a support tool for victims. This initiative represents one of the first free AI solutions developed by African creators to address gender-based violence (GBV).
Tima and her team gathered insights from over 800 individuals in local communities around Cape Town to understand their experiences with violence and technology. Many expressed a desire to talk about their abuse but were hesitant to approach traditional support systems like the police. Grit was designed to offer an alternative, with features that allow users to record incidents in real-time and securely store evidence for potential legal use.
The app has attracted international attention, with Tima presenting at a recent Feminist Foreign Policy Conference in France. She emphasizes the need for diverse voices in technology to accurately represent the realities of marginalized populations. Despite its promise, experts caution about relying solely on AI for support, arguing that human interaction remains crucial for effective care. Currently, South Africa faces significant issues with GBV, reporting femicide rates significantly higher than the global average, indicating a pressing need for solutions like Grit.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd673291pljo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss