Leveraging AI to Analyze Domestic Violence and Online Harassment

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a sharp increase in domestic violence and online harassment cases worldwide. Despite the urgency, detailed and actionable data on domestic violence trends remained scarce, with most reports limited to calls or anecdotal evidence. Similarly, information on the growing prevalence of online harassment was fragmented. This lack of accessible data hindered efforts to address these issues effectively. The need for a robust domestic violence analysis, supported by AI, became apparent to understand trends and develop targeted solutions.

Objective

The project, a collaboration between Red Dot Foundation and Omdena, aimed to:

• Develop AI tools to analyze domestic violence and online harassment trends.
• Create a multilingual dataset of domestic violence reports from online sources.
• Deliver actionable insights to support policy advocacy and intervention measures.

Approach

To tackle the problem, the team employed advanced AI and natural language processing (NLP) methods:

1. Data Collection: Sourced data from Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, news articles, Google Trends, and government reports in multiple languages.
2. Model Development: Built a multilingual NLP classifier to identify patterns and categorize content related to domestic violence and online harassment.
3. Data Visualization: Delivered findings via an interactive Tableau workbook, enabling stakeholders to explore and understand the data effectively.
4. Collaboration: Leveraged diverse expertise from Omdena’s global collaborators to label datasets and ensure cultural and linguistic inclusivity.

Results and Impact

The project delivered transformative outcomes:

• Comprehensive Dataset: A multilingual labeled dataset to facilitate domestic violence analysis.
• Policy Advocacy: The insights provided by the project enabled Red Dot Foundation to file public interest litigation with the Supreme Court of India, advocating for domestic violence services to be declared essential during the pandemic.
• Government Response: The Supreme Court referred the case to the Ministry of Home Affairs, with Omdena’s findings forming a crucial part of the evidence.
• Awareness and Action: Highlighted the urgency of addressing domestic violence and online harassment, prompting media attention and stakeholder engagement.

Future Implications

This project demonstrates the power of AI in addressing pressing social issues. The findings:

• Can guide policymakers in implementing robust measures to combat domestic violence.
• Provide a template for leveraging AI to analyze similar social challenges globally.
• Highlight the need for continuous data collection and analysis to keep pace with emerging trends.
• Could inspire further research to improve child safety practices, media guidelines, and intervention strategies.

By employing cutting-edge AI, this initiative underscores how technology can bring clarity to complex social issues, empowering communities and institutions to act effectively.