'Sophia' chatbot for domestic violence victims launched by QC

The Quezon City Government on Saturday launched "Sophia," a chatbot developed to assist survivors of domestic violence.

The Sophia Chatbot was made to become a source of support and comfort for domestic violence victims in strict confidentiality.

“It is often difficult to get out of an abusive situation due to many known and sometimes unknown factors. With Sophia, this becomes possible,” read the Sophia Chatbot website.

“You can chat to Sophia about abusive relationships, what you need to know if you plan to leave, and most importantly where and how to find help. Sophia also helps you gather potential evidence of the abuse and store it safely in your personal Digital Safe,” it added.

Sophia was developed in collaboration with actual domestic violence victims and may be used for legal procedures to combat domestic violence in support of law enforcement.

The Sophia Chatbot is accessible through the website sophia.chat and is also available on chat applications Telegram and Viber by searching the term “Sophia Chatbot”

The application was launched at the Quezon City Hall in line with the commemoration of the 18-day campaign to end Violence against Women. It was developed in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland, non-profit advocacy groups SPARK! Philippines, Spring ACT and RespetoNaman. —Jiselle Casucian/ VAL, GMA Integrated News