SA: Chat box assists sex workers to access safe abortion

GRIT (Gender Rights in Tech), formally known as Kwanele – Bringing Women Justice, is a Voice and Choice Southern Africa Fund (VCSAF) grantee based in South Africa. GRIT has been assessing and refining the GRIT Mobile App, which was developed to assist women in reporting violence. The app enables women to collect essential evidence and provides guidance throughout the reporting process, as well as court appearances. In addition to the app, GRIT is developing an AI-assisted chatbot named Zuzi, designed with the persona of a friendly African Aunt.

One of the key workshops during Zuzi’s development was run with sex workers to test, refine, and co-create the technology. This particular session focused on access to abortion services, as many sex workers expressed a need for reliable information and access to safe abortion options. Participants shared concerns about visiting formal providers due to anxiety over the procedure, fear of judgment related to their occupation, as well as of stigma and discrimination. These concerns often led to delays in seeking care, until they were beyond the safe period for accessing abortion services.

Through a participatory discussion, the GRIT team explored how the Zuzi chatbot could offer relevant advice and support, including options for self-managed abortions. While the response to at-home abortion was mixed, most participants agreed that Zuzi could make abortion services more accessible. They noted that being able to discuss their fears and receive unbiased information from Zuzi would make them more comfortable seeking safe, legal services.

Since this initial workshop, dataset collection has expanded, with further input from sex worker teams across three provinces. This data was critical in refining the chatbot and enhancing its functionality. It is crucial to conduct dataset collection with sex workers in South Africa to ensure that technology solutions, like the Zuzi chatbot, are informed by their unique experiences and needs.  This makes the solutions more effective in addressing issues such as stigma, discrimination, and access to safe services.  The chatbot is currently in BETA mode for additional testing and growth, with full deployment planned for the middle of 2025.

The GRIT app, however, is fully deployed and now has over 10,000 users, including sex workers from all of South Africa’s nine provinces. Moving forward, GRIT plans to expand its training with sex workers nationwide, leveraging insights from the chatbot’s development and the app’s success to make the technology more inclusive. This initiative will also explore ways to enhance the reporting of incidents, including those involving police misconduct, to provide a more comprehensive and supportive platform for sex workers.