You Can Now Report Sexual Harassment by Chatting With This Bot

You can get help with just a few clicks.

There have been multiple reports detailing the stories of women and men experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace and in their day-to-day lives, both here and abroad. In a 2016 study conducted by the Safe Cities Metro Manila program, three in five women said they experienced sexual harassment at least once in their lifetime. One in seven women experienced it at least once a week. The good news is more and more voices are getting the courage to be heard, thanks to social media and technology.

While Gabriela’s anti-sexual harassment chatbot has actually been up and running for about a year now, there are still so many people who don’t know about it or don’t know how to use it. Recent events have spurred another wave of women sharing their stories of sexual harassment on Twitter once again.

In an effort to make it easier to report instances of harassment, Gabriela, a group dedicated to women's rights, launched Gabbie, a bot you can chat with on Facebook. It was inspired by the crackdown on high profile sex offenders in Hollywood that encouraged victims to stand up and use the hashtag #MeToo.

Gabbie also accepts complaints from men.

Gabbie will ask you details about what happened then she'll input your answers in a Harassment Form. You can then send the form to your lawyer, your HR department, to your local government unit, or to Gabriela directly. To get started, all you have to do is search for “Gabbie by Gabriela” on Facebook and send her a message through her page. You have the option to report an incident of harassment that occurred or you can also ask her about what harassment is and how you're protected by Philippine laws.

The post shows the painless process that the bot initiates. “Gabbie” asks a series of questions with simple options to choose from. This is to minimize the amount of effort it takes for the reporter, especially if that person may not feel comfortable expressing it in their own words just yet. Here are threads that can teach you how to use Gabbie the chatbot:

https://www.facebook.com/gabbiebygabriela/posts/410959915987991

https://www.facebook.com/lvramos/posts/10155302810849601

An infographic i made (also posted on Wednesday Wonders)

“We wanted to give them a friend that would listen — an avenue for them to talk about these sensitive issues comfortably and confidentially,” said Gabriela’s Secretary General Joms Salvador in a statement to Philippine Star.

In the wake of alleged sexual harassment incidents happening in the entertainment and music industry, Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a resolution last November 27 to create “safe spaces” for all women in public spaces, schools, transportation, and offices. 

"There should be zero tolerance for misogyny and sexism wherever they take refuge. This anti-women culture must be condemned on all fronts and places whether they be in the schools, work places, transportation, bars and music places," Sen. Hontiveros says.

Resources:

1. https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/72245/gabbie-by-gabriela-a00220-20171205

2. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/08/18/metoo-gabbie-chatbot-offers-help-for-sexual-harassment-victims

3. https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/life/news/facebook-chatbot-helps-women-fight-sexual-harassment-a00228-20171129

4. https://www.wheninmanila.com/look-this-bot-makes-reporting-sexual-harassment-easy/