This is the first mobile app that can detect abuse by recognising the language often used in abusive situations, and helps victims collect proof that is admissible in a local court of law.

This app not only makes it easier for victims to reach out for help, but also stand up against their abuser in a court of law, while making it a lot harder for abusive men to gaslight and change the narrative.

Purposely designed to look generic to avoid raising suspicion, this app is anything but ordinary. For women in Hong Kong, it’s a small but significant step in the battle against gender-based violence.

Abuse always strikes hard, unexpected, and no matter which form of violence perpetrators use, without evidence it becomes hard to prove. Thus, too many victims don’t ever speak up and the abuse continues.

Could we use AI and turn technology into a simple and direct tool to battle gender-based violence? This app works to protect women in a simple manner and was designed to elicit a direct response: collecting legal proof to escape a life of abuse.

In Hong Kong gender-based violence is widespread and often tolerated, because of a deeply rooted societal inequality between men and women. Women need a lot of evidence to be taken seriously, even by law enforcers. Thus, victims often stay quiet, and the abuse continues.

The app was developed in partnership with Women Helping Women. An organisation that works to assist the victims of gender-based violence in Asia.

The app has only recently been launched, free to download on the Google Play Store, and with the help of 6 local NGOs, community groups and women’s organisations, we are currently working to further spread it all over Hong Kong, reaching those women in real need. At the moment it’s been designed specifically for the Hong Kong market with AI trained to pick up Cantonese and Cantonese-accented English only, but we are planning to quickly expand to help more women.

In a culture where a woman's word doesn't carry the same weight as a man's, we knew something had to change. So, we used AI to turn abusers’ words against themselves. This is the first mobile app that can detect abuse by recognising the language often used in abusive situations. It helps victims collect legal proof using just their mobile.

Studies show that certain verbal phrases accompany abuse and are often shouted by perpetrators in the lead-up to a physical attack. So, we trained our AI to recognise these key phrases in a variety of Cantonese dialects and Cantonese-accented English. When they're detected, the app covertly starts recording the entire incident that follows. If the AI determines the incident is escalating, an emergency alert is sent to a trusted contact, allowing loved ones to intervene.

The app was designed to elicit a direct response: collecting legal proof. Using AI, we turned technology into a simple and direct tool to battle gender-based violence. Once the app is activated, our app’s monitoring process lives entirely in the background allowing users to resume normal activities online or offline, while the app will continue to keep an ear out for abusive language. When any trigger words are detected at over 90 decibels - the level of shouting - the app covertly starts recording the entire incident that follows.

All recordings are automatically saved in a biometrically locked section and are legally admissible in a local court of law, making it an important step in the battle against gender-based violence. The app icon is designed to look generic and blend in to avoid raising suspicion, while no notifications will ever pop up on the home screen or notification centre.

This app helps victims collect hard evidence by creating an accurate timetable of the abuse that’s admissible in a local court of law. This not only makes it a little easier for victims to speak up and be heard but it also makes it a lot harder for abusive men to gaslight them and change the narrative. An app purposely designed to look ordinary, but for women in Hong Kong a powerful ally and a small but significant step in the battle against gender-based violence.

It’s important to note that lawyers have confirmed that these recordings are legally admissible in a local court of law, which hopefully will lead to an uptick in 1) victims speaking up 2) more convictions.

The app has been developed with Women Helping Women Asia and through the personal networks of 6 partner organisations, who are working on the frontline to battle gender-based violence, it’s currently being further spread all over Hong Kong, reaching those in real need. It’s still early stages but we’re trying to reach as many women as we can. A slow process, one that doesn’t come with impressive numbers overnight, but happens quietly through word-of-mouth and secret WhatsApp groups. So far, responses have been overwhelmingly positive.