Effects of digital chatbot on gender attitudes and exposure to intimate partner violence among young women in South Africa

Background South Africa has among the highest rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) globally, with young women at heightened risk due to inequitable gender roles, limited relationship skills, and inadequate social support. Despite an urgent need for violence prevention in low- and middle-income settings, most efficacious approaches are time-intensive and costly to deliver. Digital, interactive chatbots may help young women navigate safer relationships and develop healthier gender beliefs and skills Methods Young women (18–24 years old) across South Africa were recruited via Facebook for participation in an individually randomised controlled trial (n = 19,643) during the period of June 2021-September 2021. Users were randomly allocated, using a pipeline algorithm, to one of four trial arms: Pure Control (PC) had no user engagement outside of study measures; Attention Treatment (T0) provided didactic information about sexual health through a text-based chatbot; Gamified Treatment (T1) was a behaviourally-informed gamified text-based chatbot; Narrative Treatment (T2) was a behaviourally-informed drama delivered through pre-recorded voice notes. All chatbots were delivered in WhatsApp, through which users were invited to complete brief “quizzes” comprising adapted versions of validated scales. Primary outcomes were short-form adaptations of scales for gender attitudes (Gender Relations Scale) and past-month IPV (WHO Multi-country Study Instrument). Secondary outcomes were identification of unhealthy relationship behaviours (Intimate Partner Violence Attitudes Scale) and brief screener for depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire). A direct chat link to a trained counsellor was a safety measure (accessed by 4.5% of the sample). We estimated treatment effects using ordinary least squares and heteroskedasticity robust standard errors Findings The trial retained 11,630 (59.2%) to the primary endpoint of gender attitudes. Compared to control, all treatments led to moderate and significant changes in attitudes towards greater gender equity (Cohen’s D = 0.10, 0.29, 0.20 for T0, T1, and T2, respectively). The gamified chatbot (T1) had modest but significant effects on IPV: 56% of young women reported past-month IPV, compared to 62% among those without treatment (marginal effects = -0.07, 95%CI = -0.09to-0.05). The narrative treatment (T2) had no effect on IPV exposure. T1 increased identification of unhealthy relationship behaviours at a moderate and significant level (Cohen’s D = 0.25). Neither T1 nor T2 had a measurable effect on depressive symptoms as measured by the brief screener. Interpretation: A behaviourally-informed, gamified chatbot increased gender equitable attitudes and was protective for IPV exposure among young women in South Africa. These effects, while modest in magnitude, could represent a meaningful impact given potential to scale the low-cost intervention

Violencia familiar y acceso a la justicia en el mundo rural: estudios de caso de cuatro comunidades

La violencia contra la mujer es una de las manifestaciones más profundas de violación de los derechos humanos. A pesar de esta grave problemática, pocas veces las mujeres víctimas de violencia familiar logran un acceso efectivo a los sistemas formales de protección. Este estudio describe y analiza la violencia contra la mujer en cuatro comunidades rurales del Perú (dos comunidades de la costa y dos altoandinas), el rol de las instituciones públicas y privadas de cada comunidad frente a las situaciones de violencia identificadas, y explora las fuentes alternativas de justicia en estos contextos. Los resultados muestran una fuerte presencia de violencia de género en las comunidades rurales estudiadas aunque con manifestaciones distintas entre costeñas y altoandinas. Así mismo, las mujeres de estas comunidades enfrentan una serie de barreras para acceder al sistema de justicia formal, tales como la distancia geográfica entre los hogares y las instituciones de protección, información insuficiente sobre las instituciones a las que podrían acudir, y barreras culturales relacionadas a desigualdades de género vigentes que limitan la autonomía de la mujer

Violencia familiar y acceso a la justicia en el mundo rural: estudios de caso de cuatro comunidades

La violencia contra la mujer es una de las manifestaciones más profundas de violación de los derechos humanos. A pesar de esta grave problemática, pocas veces las mujeres víctimas de violencia familiar logran un acceso efectivo a los sistemas formales de protección. Este estudio describe y analiza la violencia contra la mujer en cuatro comunidades rurales del Perú (dos comunidades de la costa y dos altoandinas), el rol de las instituciones públicas y privadas de cada comunidad frente a las situaciones de violencia identificadas, y explora las fuentes alternativas de justicia en estos contextos. Los resultados muestran una fuerte presencia de violencia de género en las comunidades rurales estudiadas aunque con manifestaciones distintas entre costeñas y altoandinas. Así mismo, las mujeres de estas comunidades enfrentan una serie de barreras para acceder al sistema de justicia formal, tales como la distancia geográfica entre los hogares y las instituciones de protección, información insuficiente sobre las instituciones a las que podrían acudir, y barreras culturales relacionadas a desigualdades de género vigentes que limitan la autonomía de la mujer

Effects of digital chatbot on gender attitudes and exposure to intimate partner violence among young women in South Africa.

BackgroundSouth Africa has among the highest rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) globally, with young women at heightened risk due to inequitable gender roles, limited relationship skills, and inadequate social support. Despite an urgent need for violence prevention in low- and middle-income settings, most efficacious approaches are time-intensive and costly to deliver. Digital, interactive chatbots may help young women navigate safer relationships and develop healthier gender beliefs and skills.MethodsYoung women (18-24 years old) across South Africa were recruited via Facebook for participation in an individually randomised controlled trial (n = 19,643) during the period of June 2021-September 2021. Users were randomly allocated, using a pipeline algorithm, to one of four trial arms: Pure Control (PC) had no user engagement outside of study measures; Attention Treatment (T0) provided didactic information about sexual health through a text-based chatbot; Gamified Treatment (T1) was a behaviourally-informed gamified text-based chatbot; Narrative Treatment (T2) was a behaviourally-informed drama delivered through pre-recorded voice notes. All chatbots were delivered in WhatsApp, through which users were invited to complete brief "quizzes" comprising adapted versions of validated scales. Primary outcomes were short-form adaptations of scales for gender attitudes (Gender Relations Scale) and past-month IPV (WHO Multi-country Study Instrument). Secondary outcomes were identification of unhealthy relationship behaviours (Intimate Partner Violence Attitudes Scale) and brief screener for depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire). A direct chat link to a trained counsellor was a safety measure (accessed by 4.5% of the sample). We estimated treatment effects using ordinary least squares and heteroskedasticity robust standard errors.FindingsThe trial retained 11,630 (59.2%) to the primary endpoint of gender attitudes. Compared to control, all treatments led to moderate and significant changes in attitudes towards greater gender equity (Cohen's D = 0.10, 0.29, 0.20 for T0, T1, and T2, respectively). The gamified chatbot (T1) had modest but significant effects on IPV: 56% of young women reported past-month IPV, compared to 62% among those without treatment (marginal effects = -0.07, 95%CI = -0.09to-0.05). The narrative treatment (T2) had no effect on IPV exposure. T1 increased identification of unhealthy relationship behaviours at a moderate and significant level (Cohen's D = 0.25). Neither T1 nor T2 had a measurable effect on depressive symptoms as measured by the brief screener. Interpretation: A behaviourally-informed, gamified chatbot increased gender equitable attitudes and was protective for IPV exposure among young women in South Africa. These effects, while modest in magnitude, could represent a meaningful impact given potential to scale the low-cost intervention

Escalando innovaciones rurales

¿Cómo conseguir que las inventivas locales e individuales tengan repercusiones en contextos más amplios? ¿Cómo lograr saltos de escala, que hagan posible articular unas innovaciones con otras y diseminar los alcances a otros potenciales beneficiarios fuera de su núcleo inicial? Estas son las preguntas centrales del «Seminario Internacional sobre Escalamiento de Innovaciones Rurales», llevado a cabo en Lima en mayo de 2012, en el marco del Programa de Escalamiento de Innovaciones Rurales (PEIR). Este evento buscó reunir a especialistas, académicos y actores de diferentes partes del mundo, para reflexionar durante tres días en torno a la potencialidad y los retos del escalamiento de innovaciones rurales en los países en desarrollo. Este libro recoge los principales aportes y contribuciones al debate