SafeSigns: Using Technology to Prevent Dating Violence in South Africa

Each year, the global 16 Days of Activism campaign reminds us of the urgent need to end gender-based violence (GBV). It’s most recent theme, 'Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls’, could not have been timelier. In South Africa, where adolescent girls face intersecting layers of risk, digital innovations are creating new pathways to safety and support. One such innovation is SafeSigns, a WhatsApp-based chatbot being developed by Reach Digital Health in partnership with Ipas and LoveLife, and funded through the UK’s What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale initiative.

SafeSigns is designed with a simple yet powerful goal: to ensure young women are never alone when navigating relationships. By meeting young women where they already are, on WhatsApp, the project will offer private, relatable and youth-friendly support that helps prevent dating violence before it begins.

Centring the needs of young women most at risk

In South Africa, adolescent girls face some of the highest rates of gender-based violence globally. Many experience dating violence, sexual coercion, reproductive coercion, transactional relationships and technology-facilitated abuse at a young age. Yet most prevention programmes are designed for adults, delivered in person and hard to scale.

SafeSigns will fill this gap by offering a private, non-judgmental space where girls can talk openly, build confidence and learn practical skills for safety and wellbeing. It will support users to recognise unhealthy behaviours, plan for safety, seek help and reflect on power and rights. It is particularly valuable for girls who may lack safe spaces at home or school to discuss relationships, sex or emotional stress.

A digital lifeline for adolescent girls

Implemented by Reach Digital Health with Ipas and Love Life, SafeSigns is transforming how adolescent girls aged 15-18 in Gqeberha, South Africa, understand and prevent dating violence. The team is building a WhatsApp based chatbot co-designed with young women themselves, ensuring that the language, tone and tools reflect their preferences and lived experiences.

Users will engage with short, interactive modules that cover healthy relationships, emotional wellbeing, decision making, communication skills, online safety and more. The experience is structured yet gentle, designed to feel like a supportive conversation rather than a lesson. Young women using the tool will choose avatars that feel familiar, listen to voice notes, complete mini quizzes and practice real-life scenarios, from spotting red flags to negotiating boundaries.

At every step, they can access simple, age-appropriate referrals to trusted services such as Thuthuzela Care Centres, mental health support, sexual and reproductive health services and GBV helplines. A built-in help desk will allow girls to connect with a trained person when they want to talk to someone directly.

Co-designing with young people

SafeSigns is grounded in meaningful youth participation. Sixty adolescent girls took part in early testing, shaping everything from the interface to the emotional tone. Twenty youth champions are now engaged as community advocates, ensuring the project remains rooted in lived realities. Their involvement strengthens relevance and builds leadership, visibility and agency among young people.

During the testing phase, participants suggested content on friendships, self-esteem, consent, tech safety, managing emotions and navigating pressure from partners. The SafeSigns team listened, embedding these requests into the Hot Topics menu and daily modules. They also called for lighter, shorter onboarding, more relatable avatars and a warmer introduction. These insights directly shaped the redesign of the user journey, ensuring SafeSigns appeals to its intended audience and never feels out of touch.

How the Chatbot works

The core of SafeSigns is an evidence-based, user-friendly flow:

• Onboarding: A short introduction sets a supportive tone and helps adolescents understand how the chatbot can help them navigate relationships and safety.

• Eight core modules: Daily sessions explore essential topics including: healthy relationships, peer pressure, coping skills, decision making, communication, safety planning and emotional wellbeing. The content is delivered through stories, relatable examples, voice notes, affirmations and short activities.

• Reinforcement quizzes: Fun, light quizzes arrive the next day to strengthen learning without overwhelm.

• Hot topics: Girls can explore popular topics whenever they need them, from consent to confidence, friendships, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and managing stress.

• Referrals and support: Vetted psychosocial and health services are always one tap away.

• Endline reflection: A short reflection helps measure impact and reinforces key life skills.

To ensure adolescent users feel safe, SafeSigns incorporates strong privacy protections, which are especially important when seeking support related to violence. The tool provides clear privacy information, in line with South Africa’s privacy law (POPIA), offers quick exit options, and guidance on deleting chats or hiding notifications. A non-judgmental tone further supports emotional safety, helping young people engage confidently with the chatbot.

SafeSigns on the global stage

At the UNESCO Global Symposium on Technology and Gender-Based Violence (GBV), held from 25–28 November 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, the Ipas Africa Southern Region team and Reach Digital Health brought SafeSigns to a global audience. The SafeSigns team attended the event which convened more than 100 leaders and practitioners from the education, technology, gender, and child-protection sectors, united in their commitment to creating safer digital spaces.

During the event, the team showcased how SafeSigns demonstrates the power of pairing technology with youth-centered design. Their presentation highlighted how innovations like SafeSigns can equip young people with the tools they need to stay safe and challenge GBV in the digital age.

Early impact and next steps

Early engagement is the testing phase suggests the model is already making an impact. Young women are completing modules and using the help desk and referral mechanisms. Retention has improved with a warmer introduction, shorter onboarding and more flexible content. The project is working towards launching soon, with plans to reach 3,000 girls during the trial period through youth champion recruitment. After the study, the goal is to open the service to more young people and expand to include boys and young men.

Ultimately, SafeSigns aims to contribute to a measurable reduction in dating violence among adolescents, increase the use of safety strategies and strengthen young people’s confidence to seek support. By blending technology, youth centered design and evidence-based prevention, the project shows what is possible when innovation meets compassion. SafeSigns is more than a chatbot. It is a lifeline, a learning space and a step toward a future where every girl can feel safer, more supported and more in control of her own wellbeing and safety.

More information

• Find out more about our Grantee Partners Reach Digital Health and Ipas.