The campaign, GBV-Femicide, uses technology as a platform to assist victims of gender-based violence scenarios.

Afri-tec Chief Executive Officer, AB Moosa, says the idea to use the technology was hatched after looking at how technology “has certainly revolutionized so many aspects of our life and the use of such technology has been accelerated during covid.

“We felt that as a tech-focused collaboration, we wanted to create a technological platform that would assist in empowering victims in terms of them alerting those when they are in need.”

AB Moosa says the App platform enables an individual to alert their invited trusted circle in a panic/gender-based violence situation.

“Their circle can consist of an infinite number of people that they choose to invite who will immediately be alerted of their panic through push notifications, other messaging as well as the details of their live location and other information that they have provided including their medical information,” he said.

SADC Regional Coordinator for Empire Partner Foundation, Ms. Carol Shereni, feels that the App “will be one additional tool in the arsenal of helping to empower victims so that through this process the swift action being taken in gender-based violence incidents.

“We are certainly not saying that our technological solution is the ‘silver bullet’ so to speak but is certainly one piece that is part of this big puzzle that can contribute to addressing this issue.”

According to Ms. Shereni, the partnership is working on rolling the App throughout the continent “with South Africa having been our first phase.

“Since there have been engagements in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ghana and Kenya, our intention is to continuously engage with governments and organizations throughout the continent that are keen to collaborate with us on this.”

AB Moosa has, therefore, pleaded for corporate social responsibility support in countries such as Malawi to assist people in rural areas who cannot afford smartphones or have limited data to access the service.