During the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s easy to forget the more hidden, though equally omnipresent and deadly pandemic of domestic violence. In the UK alone, survivors contacting organisations dealing with domestic violence have increased by nearly 300%, with website visits over 600%.¹ This is particularly worrying as statistics show that nearly two-thirds of survivors never seek outside help. Of those who do seek help, only a tiny fraction (10%) go to the police.²
“Too many burdens are placed on women and men suffering from an abusive partner”, stated a Swiss law student in response to why she is volunteering her time with Kona Connect on our new project. Eager to contribute her skills, this volunteer is helping to develop a technology aimed at supporting survivors of domestic violence as well as social service agencies and non-profit organisations, especially during the drastic spike of incidents during the Covid-19 crisis.
Which brings us to “Sophia”: The world’s first chatbot designed to support victims and survivors of domestic violence, no matter where they are on the globe. The worldwide pandemic is what motivated us, and all the volunteers that have since joined our team, to get “Sophia” available as soon as possible. While there are a handful of apps on domestic violence, “Sophia” is the first tool of its kind, as it leaves no digital trace. As a chatbot integrated into popular messaging apps, “Sophia” does not require the use of a separate app and is therefore more discreet than other services. This concern with safety is of utmost importance, since controlling partners often demand access to a victim’s digital devices. With safety guiding us as the paramount concern, we focus in particular on the following: Tailored resources to provide information to survivors and the platform to empower victims to take action. We call this G.A.L. Gather evidence. Assess your rights. Learn your options.
What a Team!
And this early phase of “Sophia” would not be possible without the immense input from our wonderful global team of volunteers. From Seattle to Addis Ababa to Zürich to Manila, across 15 time zones, and 4 continents, Kona Connect has been lucky enough to engage with legal experts, quality control managers, computer programmers, social workers, and writers to bring this beta version to the public. We wish to also thank our Advisory Board members – Flynn Coleman and Rita Izsák-Ndiaye – for their invaluable advice and generous connections crucially helping bring “Sophia” to life. And of course, thank YOU, dear reader and follower, for spreading the word.
Image: Through the extraordinary efforts of our global team of volunteers, Sophia is near beta-phase completion.
Image: Rendering of Sophia in action
Partner With Us
We have created Sophia at 0 cost and 100% passion. We have solid GDPR procedures (data privacy rights) in place and a willing team of translators ready to get to work (25 languages and counting). Sophia is simultaneously global and local. Individuals will be able to upload evidence of abuse to their private vault on servers in Switzerland, regardless of their country location. At the same time, the chatbot will provide tailored resources to survivors according to their local context. This serves a dual function: Local organisations will be able to automise helpful contact information for survivors while also providing such content via the centralised chatbot. “Sophia” will, therefore, be available worldwide, with the tailored resources being added country by country with the help of local organisations.
This is where you come in: We are looking for an operational partner with the resources to ensure the secure implementation of “Sophia” and the resources to reach as many victims and survivors as possible. If you, or an organisation you are familiar with, are interested in learning more, please contact us.
If this global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that collective effort is necessary for a healthy, happy society. We are each other’s keepers. And in an era of global quarantine, home should signify comfort, familiarity, and above all, safety. Help us make home a safer place for all.
¹ Respect (UK National Domestic Violence Charity)
² www.un.org
Cover Photo: “Sophia” designed by Elin Jusélius
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