South Africa: 1000 Women Trust Chatbot-initiative

The 1000 Women Trust has introduced a WhatsApp chatbot offering discreet, 24/7 support for survivors of gender-based violence across South Africa. This innovation bridges critical gaps in access to help, while strengthening community organisations through improved data and coordination tools.

South Africa continues to face extremely high levels of gender-based violence (GBV), leaving many women and children without immediate or safe access to help. The 1000 Women Trust—a women-led organisation committed to ending GBV and femicide—developed a WhatsApp-based chatbot to provide trauma-informed, confidential and accessible support available at any time.

The chatbot was introduced during the 16 Days of Activism campaign and has expanded nationally. It provides a range of survivor-centred resources including helplines, information about protection orders, trauma support materials and training opportunities. For many survivors who face stigma, fear, isolation or limited mobility, this platform offers a safe and discreet route to essential guidance.

Before the introduction of the chatbot, many survivors had no clear pathway to assistance. Community-based organisations also struggled with fragmented data systems, complicating coordination and limiting their ability to track participation in campaigns and training. With the rollout of the chatbot and digital tools, the response system is now more cohesive, reliable and accessible.

The change was driven by advocacy, coalition-building, policy engagement and capacity strengthening. Local organisations were involved in shaping the content to ensure relevance and accessibility. Technology development played a major role in creating a scalable and user-friendly interface that could reach women across rural and urban settings.

The impact of the chatbot is visible in increased user engagement, improved coordination among organisations and positive feedback from survivors and partners. It has shifted GBV response efforts from fragmented, reactive systems to a coordinated, proactive, survivor-centred model.

Sustainability is supported by ongoing partnerships, training for grassroots organisations, integration with social services, monitoring and evaluation, and funding mobilised through donors and stakeholders. Scaling plans include national expansion, multilingual adaptation and replication for other social justice issues such as mental health, anti-bullying and child protection.

Quotes: 

Mickayla Watson - Trauma Support Training Course via the chatbot was accessible 24/7 and I could complete it in my own time. 

Sara Hill - I am able to access relevant GBV information about protection orders using my WhatsApp data bundle.

Bianca Charles - Safely stored information and accessible analytics help me to measure impact. 

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