Juba, South Sudan (AP) – After being gang victim by armed men during the collection of firewood, the 28 -year -old tried in vain to get help. Some clinics were closed, others told her to come back later and she had no money to access a hospital.
Five months after the assault, she lying on a carpet in a travel camp in the capital of South Sudan, rubbing her swollen belly. “I felt like I was not heard … And now I’m pregnant,” she said. The Associated Press does not identify the raped people.
Sexual assault is a constant risk For many women in South Sudan. Now, an aid group is trying to fill the gap with technology, to find and help survivors faster. But it is not easy in a country with low connectivity, high illiteracy and distrust of the way information is used.
Five months ago, an organization based in Israel in South Sudan piloted a chatbot which he created on WhatsApp. He invites questions to his staff to ask survivors of sexual assault to anonymously share their experiences. The information is put on the phone while speaking to the person and the bot immediately informs a social worker that there is a case, providing personal assistance in a few hours.
Israaid said technology improves communication. Papers can be moved and information may disappear, said Rodah Nyaduel, group psychologist. When colleagues document an incident, she is informed by phone and said what type of case it was.
Technology experts have said technology can reduce human errors and manual file holding, but organizations must guarantee data confidentiality.
“How do they intend to use this information, is it disseminated to the police,” does this information cross borders. Groups must do certain things to guarantee how to protect this information and demonstrate it, “said Gerardo Rodriguez Phillip, AI and technology innovation consultant in Great Britain.
Israaid said his data was encrypted and anonymized. It automatically removes the phones of staff members. During the first three months of the chatbot at the end of 2024, it was used to report 135 cases.
When the 28-year-old woman was raped, she knew she only had a few days to take medication to help prevent illnesses and pregnancy, she said.
A help group that she approached to scribble her information on a piece of paper and told her to come back later to speak with a social worker. When she did, they said they were busy. After 72 hours, she assumed it was useless. A few weeks later, she discovered that she was pregnant.
Israaid found it by visiting door to door in its region. At first, she was afraid to let her put her information on their phone, fearing that she was broadcast on social networks. But she felt more comfortable knowing that phones were not personal devices, thinking that she could hold responsible organization if there were problems.
It is one of the tens of thousands of people Always living in travel sites In the capital, Juba, despite a peace agreement ending the civil war in 2018. Some are afraid of leaving or have no houses to come back.
The fear of rape remains for women who leave the camps for firewood or other needs. Some said to the AP to be sexually assaulted. They declared that there were few services in the camp due to the reduced assistance of international aid groups and radical government investment in health. Many cannot afford taxis at a city hospital.
The recent executive decree of American president Donald Trump USAID freezing financing During a 90 -day exam period, he exacerbates the challenges. Aid groups have closed certain services, including psychological support for women, affecting tens of thousands of people.
Technology is not widely used by aid groups focused on sexist violence in South Sudan. Some organizations say that, on the basis of survivors’ comments, the ideal application would allow people to get distance help.
The stigma surrounding sexual assault further complicates efforts to obtain aid in South Sudan. This is particularly difficult for young girls who need to get permission to leave their homes, said Mercy Lwambi, chief of violence based on sex on the International Rescue Committee.
“They want to talk to someone faster than a physical meeting,” she said.
But South Sudan has one of the lowest mobile access and connectivity rates in the world, with less than 25% of market penetration, according to a GSMA report, a global network of mobile operators. People with phones do not always have internet access and many are illiterate.
“You have to think, will it work in a low technology environment?” What are the literacy rates? Do they have access to devices? If so, what kind? Will they find it engaging, will they trust them, is it sure? “Said Kirsten Pontalti, a senior partner with the Proteknon Foundation for Innovation and Learning, an international organization focused on the progress of child protection.
Pontalti has piloted two chatbots, one to help young people and parents better access information on sexual reproductive health and the other for front -line workers focused on child protection during the covid.
She said that abuse reporting technology should include an audio component for people with low literacy and be as low as possible.
Some survivors of sexual assault say they just want to be heard, whether by phone or in person.
A 45 -year -old man, a 11 -year -old father, said it had taken years to ask for help after being raped by his wife after refusing to have sex and said that he did not want more children than they could afford to support.
It took several visits by humanitarian workers on its travel site in Juba before feeling comfortable talking.
“Organizations must engage more with the community,” he said. “If they hadn’t presented themselves, I wouldn’t have had.”
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