Following the brutal murder of her pregnant relative, Leonora Tema was driven to create the “Grit” app and the “Zuzi” chatbot—free AI tools that provide immediate support and help victims safely document evidence. Discover how this African solution is tackling South Africa’s staggering rates of gender-based violence.
- Introduction: Innovation born from pain
- The catalyst for change: A deadly silence
- The Grit app: An innovative African solution
- Key features: Immediate assistance and “The Vault”
- “Aunt Zuzi”: AI as a trusted persona
- The limitations of AI in the face of trauma
- The importance of inclusive design in technology
- FAQs
Introduction: Innovation born from pain
In South Africa, where rates of gender-based violence are among the highest in the world (with a female homicide rate five times the global average), personal tragedy can be the spark that ignites change. This is what happened to Leonora Tema, whose family was struck by a horrific murder that drove her to create a digital platform offering a safe space for people—mostly women—to talk about and track abuse. Leonora’s relative was only 19 years old and nine months pregnant when she was killed and her body dumped on the side of a highway near Cape Town in 2020.
The catalyst for change: A deadly silence
The killer was never caught. Leonora says: “What stood out for me was that the violent death of a family member was seen as a very normal occurrence in South African society.” No media outlet published the news of her death, because the volume of such cases is so high that they are no longer considered news. This silent acceptance of a woman’s violent death became the catalyst for her app, Gender Rights in Technology (Grit), which features a chatbot named “Zuzi”.
The Grit app: An innovative African solution
This initiative is one of the first free AI tools created by African innovators to address gender-based violence. Leonora says: “This is an African solution designed in co-creation with African communities.” The goal is to provide support and assistance in gathering evidence that can later be used in legal cases against abusers.
To understand the community’s needs, Leonora and her team spoke with over 800 people. They found that people wanted to talk about the abuse they experienced, but were wary of traditional avenues like the police. Backed by institutions such as Mozilla and the Gates Foundation, Grit was developed and now boasts 13,000 users.
Key features: Immediate assistance and “The Vault”
The Grit app centers around three main features. The first is a large help button. When pressed, it automatically begins recording 20 seconds of audio and sends an alert to a dedicated rapid response call center, where a trained operator contacts the user to provide immediate help if needed.
The second element is “The Vault,” a secure digital space where users can store evidence of abuse (photos, screenshots, audio recordings) in a time-stamped, encrypted format. Leonora says: “The Vault means the evidence doesn’t just sit on a phone that can be seized or destroyed.”
“Aunt Zuzi”: AI as a trusted persona
The third feature is “Zuzi,” an AI-powered chatbot. When designing Zuzi, users wanted her to act as an “aunt figure”; a warm, trustworthy person who could be confided in without fear of judgment.
Leonora explains: “People love talking to AI because they don’t feel judged. It’s not human.” Interestingly, during the testing phase, men also used Zuzi to seek help, including perpetrators asking for assistance in dealing with anger management issues, as well as men who are victims of violence.
The limitations of AI in the face of trauma
While the initiative is gaining international attention, some experts warn against over-reliance on AI for trauma-focused care. Lisa Vetten, a specialist in gender-based violence, emphasizes that chatbots can provide useful information but are no substitute for human counseling. She says: “People who have been harmed need help to trust and feel safe with other human beings.” She also worries that chatbots might provide overly confident yet incorrect answers to complex legal problems.
The importance of inclusive design in technology
Leonora stresses that the success of AI in addressing sensitive issues depends heavily on who designs it. She points out that AI as we currently know it was built on historical data focused on the voices of white men (with women making up only 22% of AI professionals globally).
She concludes: “The solution isn’t just about having more female creators. We also need creators who are women of color, more from the Global South, and from less privileged socioeconomic backgrounds.” Only then, she says, can technology begin to represent the realities of those who use it.
FAQs
Q: What is the Grit app?
A: It is a mobile application designed to help victims of gender-based violence in South Africa record abuse, report it, and receive immediate response.
Q: Who is “Zuzi”?
A: “Zuzi” is an AI-powered chatbot within the Grit app, designed as an “aunt persona” to offer support and advice without judgment.
Q: Can AI replace human support for trauma survivors?
A: While AI can provide initial information and support, experts emphasize that it cannot replace the empathy and human connection provided by trained human counselors.
