WOW! We are delighted to announce the second part of #SHECODESAFRICA - ''BabyScream'' IBM RPA Anti-harassment chatbot to End Child Marriage. The tech show with Sofonie Dala

ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION (RPA)

SHE CODES AFRICA - BABYSCREAM

THE TECH SHOW WITH SOFONIE DALA, ANGOLA

Children are increasingly undergoing abuse, yes. Violence has increased within our communities. Cases of child marriage have increased; issues of children being murdered have also been heard of in many areas.

What is the solution?

IBM  RPA Web Automation and Anti-Harassment Chatbot to Prevent Child Marriage and Abuse

This solution weaves together RPA, AI among other technologies to create a solution that vastly prevents child marriage and abuse, domestic violence and teen pregnancy pregnancy in Africa. The bot connects users with agent-defenders, allows victims to report harmful practices and denounce their aggressors.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen! 

We welcome everyone to our cloud environment! In this platform, we are enhancing our functionality and IT capacity.

Violence against children takes many forms, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and may involve neglect or deprivation. Violence occurs in many settings, including the home, school, community and over the Internet.

Sometimes raising awareness about sexual violence happens through very practical means.

IBM RPA Chatbot-BabyScream

We designed an Anti-harassment chatbot named BabyScream to help victims of child marriage, domestic violence and sexual abuse, denounce harmful practices.

Using IBM tools to solve world´s most pressing challenges.

How does it work?

There is both an Art and a Science to Automation. The Art comes through in the creativity and imagination of the design team and the Science is evident in the steps taken to build, test and deploy interconnected software components.

Hands-on lab 

IBM  RPA Web Automation and Anti-Harassment Chatbot to Prevent Child Marriage and Abuse

We used RPA Automation Studio to create and deploy an Anti-Harassment Chatbot to Prevent Child Marriage and Abuse and automate our Web.

Basically, this anti-harassment chatbot provides the victims with any kind of assistance they require. It also matches the victims with the right specialist capable to support them. 

Running the Robot successfully

The bot asks them to provide their personal details such as name, age, sex, residence address and contacts. This information facilitates the connection between victims and experts from organizations and centers responsible for solving such cases.

Maria's story

As you can see in the data that the victim introduced, today we are showcasing the story of 14-year-old Maria, who is being given in marriage by her parents due to extreme poverty.

The robot also displays a list containing address, phone contact and emails of organizations that handle these cases, including police station, UNESCO, UNICEF, support center etc.

At the end of the conversation, the bot advises the victim to visit our digital platform to read good content.

Web Automation

We automated our own browser and named it babyscream - The bot opens our medium digital platform enabling the victim to navigate a relaxing meditation, telling stories of other victims and showing good practices.

NICE! THIS COMPLETES THIS HANDS-ON LAB.

Anti-harassment Chatbot-BabyScream — To End Child Marriage

Education is an essential factor in combating the worst forms of child labour, including child marriage, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, human trafficking, poverty, social exclusion and gender bias.

The main goals of the project are to strengthen prevention mechanisms against child marriage and teen pregnancy, improve the mental health and education process and support survivors safely.

Sometimes raising awareness about sexual violence happens through very practical means. In many rural communities We visit, both girls and boys learn how to sew reusable menstrual pads, which not only enables more girls to attend school, but also creates opportunities for boys to discuss their responsibility to reduce sexual and physical violence.

Click here to see: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2022/03/we-are-pleased-to-announce-launch-of.html

IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

The pandemic has affected their lives including: (1) food insecurity and hunger, (2) difficulty following preventative measures, (3) navigating a new normal at home, (4) an increased risk of witnessing or experiencing violence, (5) child labour, (6) early marriage, and (7) online risks.

It is real the ridiculous situation that Africa has been suffering for decades with the high rates of mortality and birth, in which among the great causes we have child marriage justified in beliefs, taboos, culture and religion.

Sex education is still a very sensitive issue for the African community, which from an early age imposes marriage as the biggest dream and life goal for girls and a demonstration of virility in the case of men.

5 WAYS TO END CHILD MARRIAGE

It’s every girl’s right to choose if, who and when they marry. Yet globally, nearly 41,000 girls are forced into child marriage every day. Child marriage robs girls of their childhood, often forcing them to drop out of school, exposing them to violence – sexual, physical and emotional – and thrusting them into experiences that their young minds and bodies are not ready for, like motherhood.

1. EDUCATING GIRLS

2. EMPOWERING GIRLS

3. PROVIDING GIRLS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH INCOME OPPORTUNITIES

4. PETITIONING GOVERNMENT AND ENCOURAGING SUPPORTIVE LAWS

5. RALLYING THE WIDER COMMUNITY TO STAND UP FOR GIRLS’ RIGHTS

Parents and community leaders are often responsible for deciding when and whom a girl marries. In many traditional communities, it’s believed that marriage keeps girls safe, protected and economically provided for by their husbands.

When parents and community leaders are educated about the many negative consequences of child marriage, it can inspire them to change their views, speak up for girls’ rights and encourage others to do the same.

Africa Educates Her Campaign with Sofonie Dala

In this chapter we will be telling stories of some women and girls who dropped out of school due to child marriage and teen pregnancy.

Both early teen marriage and dropping out of school have historically been associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including higher poverty rates throughout life.

Our today's guest  is Luisa, she will share with us her academic history and consequences of her choices.

Luisa's story

I regret breaking my studies because of a young marriage

Hello! My name is Luisa, I will talk a little about my academic life and how I stopped studying.

I stopped studying when I was twenty years old because I found a husband. This marriage made me forget school, I gave birth to four children. But I regret that I stopped studying. Now I have no way to go back to study because life no longer allows me to study. I don't have a job, my husband is also unemployed, and we're all stuck.

If someone offers me a help, I would like to go back to study because I have this desire so that my daughters can also study, in order to improve our life a little bit.

What grade did you stop studying in? How old are you now?

I stopped studying in the 8th grade. Now I am 34 years old.

Have your daughters ever gone to school?

Yeah, they did. My first daughter is 14 years old, finished the 8 grade and has been two years without studying.

The second daughter is 13 years old, she concluded the 4th grade and is also two years without studying.

Click here on these links to find out how her story ended. https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/12/africa-educates-her-campaign-angola_23.html

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/01/wow-we-are-celebrating-successful.html

Osana's story

Today we invited Osana, she will share with us a little of her academic life.

It has been difficult to pay for my studies and at the same time support my baby

Hello, good afternoon! My name is Osana Manuel, I'm 22 years old and I'm going to share my academic life with you.

Unfortunately, I became pregnant at the age of 18. I gave birth to my son, finished high school and even managed to enter the first year of university. But I was forced to lock the school year because of financial problems.

How long have you been without studying?

I stopped studying in 2019. I locked the year because it has been difficult to pay for my studies and at the same time support my baby.

Osana, aren't you married? I'm not married. Unfortunately my relationship with my son's father did not work so I am a single mother.

Would you like to go back to school if an opportunity came up?

I would really like to go back to school because study is one of my biggest focuses. I attend many short courses  but I really want to finish university.

How did covid-19 impact your life?

The covid-19 disease was practically a disgrace, I was working and suddenly I stopped because of the covid-19 pandemic. I am now unemployed. Till today I'm sitting at home.

Thank you!

Click this link to learn more about Osana https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/search?q=osana

Maria's story

Pregnancy related school dropouts have become a matter of public concern in the world today. Schoolgirls who become pregnant have fewer opportunities to complete their education after childbirth and have fewer opportunities for socioeconomic advancement.

Our today's guest is Maria, she will share with us her academic journey.

I dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy.

Hello, My name is Maria Gomes, I'm 21 years old, I'm here to talk about my academic life.

Maria are you studying right now?

No.

When did you stop studying and how old were you at the time?

I stopped studying in the 7th grade in 2017, at the age of 18.

Why did you stop studying?

I stopped studying because I got pregnant. When I discovered the pregnancy I did not stop studying at that moment, I continued with my studies until November 2017, then I dropped out of school because of the pregnancy symptoms.

Are you married to the father of your child?

No. We broke up because he denied the pregnancy

Would you like to go back to school?

Yeah, I'd like to go back to school.

What are the reasons that prevent you from going back to study?

Lack of financial resources. I have no money to pay my tuition.

How has the coronavirus affected you?

I used to work, but after the emergence of the pandemic my boss asked me to stay home. Also things in this period are very expensive and have made life very difficult, we had no way to eat at home, I am not working.

How have you been supporting your son?

My 35-year-old older sister has been helping me with the expenses. In general, I support my son alone without his father's help.

How old is your son?

My son is now 3 years old.

Girls and young women’s access, retention and completion in schools is still of huge concern in Africa. Our continent also has the highest rate of out of school children and adolescents globally. However, girls remain more likely to be permanently excluded from education and at a higher risk of being left behind.

Click this link to learn more about Maria. https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/12/africa-educates-her-campaign-angola_24.html

Recommendations

We recommend that the relevant actors work together to provide practical help in the areas of education, health and hygiene, food provision, family livelihoods and COVID-19 awareness raising.

 Furthermore, we recommend the establishment and maintenance of comprehensive child protection mechanisms and clear avenues to seek support. Moreover, we all relevant stakeholders and decision makers to listen to children and young people and take their views seriously. 

From the time quarantine started, there has been domestic conflicts between parents involving children, where they are physically abused by their own parents or guardians. Physical abuse cases towards children have really risen in our neighbourhood.

Some peers are being beaten more than usual now that they are stuck at home with their parents [who are] taking out their anger on them for their job losses or other frustrating factors. Strict parents are taking out their stresses on their children.

SEXUAL ABUSE AT HOME

Children continue to get sexually abused by people they live with. It may happen that, in some cases, there is even sexual abuse because [children and young people] are now spending a lot of time as well at home with many other relatives that have come back due to the coronavirus.

Sexual abuse is, however, happening now. It is a concern because even children as young as from 1 to 3-years-old are sexually abused by uncles and cousins ​​who live close to them. Unfortunately, these children do not survive the pain of rape and end up dying.

 What is robotic process automation?

Robotic process automation (RPA) is a software technology that makes it easy to build, deploy, and manage software robots that emulate humans actions interacting with digital systems and software. Just like people, software robots can do things like understand what’s on a screen, complete the right keystrokes, navigate systems, identify and extract data, and perform a wide range of defined actions.

A big, big thank you so much for all your support and loyalty over the years. We hope to see you soon!

In case you missed our first RPA program, you can still watch Part 1 - RPA to address climate change, by clicking this link here:https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2022/03/we-are-pleased-to-announce-launch-of.html

Click here to stay connected

Russia threatens to stop supplying gas if not paid in roubles

Russia has told “unfriendly” foreign countries they must start paying for gas in roubles or it will cut supplies.

Vladimir Putin has signed a decree stating buyers “must open rouble accounts in Russian banks” from Friday.

“Nobody sells us anything for free, and we are not going to do charity either – that is, existing contracts will be stopped,” the Russian president said.

Mr Putin’s demand is being seen as an attempt to boost the rouble, which has been hit by Western sanctions.

Western companies and governments have rejected Russia’s demands to pay for gas in roubles as a breach of existing contracts, which are set in euros or US dollars.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Western nations have issued economic and trading sanctions on Russia, but the European Union has not placed bans on oil or gas, unlike the US and Canada, as its member nations rely heavily on it.

The EU gets about 40% of its gas and 30% of its oil from Russia, and has no easy substitutes if supplies are disrupted. Meanwhile, Russia currently gets €400m (£340m) per day from gas sales to the bloc and it has no way of rerouting this supply to other markets.

Mr Putin said the switch to roubles was meant to strengthen Russia’s sovereignty, and it would stick to its obligations on all contracts, if Western nations obliged.

Germany said the change announced by Mr Putin amounted to “blackmail”.

At a news conference, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said he had not yet seen the new decree signed by Mr Putin.

“With regard to the threat, demand or consideration – one doesn’t know what to call it anymore – to be made to pay in roubles, it is crucial for us that the contracts are respected,” he said.

Separately, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said German companies would continue to pay for Russian gas using euros as stipulated in contracts.

The Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline was inaugurated just over a decade ago between Russia and Germany

The order signed by Mr Putin means foreign buyers of Russian gas will have to open an account at Gazprom bank and transfer euros or US dollars into it.

Gazprom bank will then convert this into roubles which will then be used to make the payment for gas.

France’s economy minister Bruno Le Maire declined to comment on technical details linked to the latest Russian demands for rouble payment.

Analysts say making nations pay in roubles for gas will support the country’s currency, which fell sharply after the invasion but has begun to recover.

Nathan Piper, head of oil and gas research at Investec, said Mr Putin was attempting to put economic pressure “back on Europe” and that more foreign exchange demand for roubles would likely push up the value of the currency.

“However, long term Russia needs to remain a reliable supplier of gas so it is unclear if they would actually restrict gas supply,” he added.

“That said, even the risk of it is keeping UK/European gas prices at near record highs and six times the 10-year average. This is translating to steep rises in consumers’ energy bills.”

For the Kremlin this is designed to suggest a dramatic escalation in the economic battle between the West and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has outlined a pathway for the cutting of gas supplies to Europe if Western customers refuse to pay for supplies in the Russian currency the rouble.

However, the market reaction suggests the details of the mechanism mean that, in practice, European customers will just have to change their currency dealers to Gazprom bank. That bank has already been left unsanctioned, for the purpose of continuity of energy trade.

As a result, gas prices remain very high, but did not today shoot into the stratosphere. There should be a workaround.

As one leading analyst told me, this solution has “saved face” for Putin, who can sound tough on domestic TV. Ultimately, as Russian officials have repeatedly said for decades, Russian supply of energy to the West continued uninterrupted even during the height of the Cold War.

Ultimately, Russia still needs the money for the gas, and still wants to leave the possibility of a market for its main export once a peace deal is signed. However, it is also true to say that the threat of a cut-off has escalated. EU nations have prepared emergency measures to manage demand, and would be more willing to face that now during spring and summer than winter.

Russia’s announcement comes after Moscow appeared to soften its stance on Wednesday over demanding rouble payments, saying they would be introduced gradually.

In preparation for gas supply disruption, Germany and Austria have triggered emergency plans amid a payments stand-off with Russia.

Germany, which gets about half its gas and a third of its oil from Russia, has urged its citizens and companies to reduce consumption in anticipation of possible shortages. Austria, which imports about 40% of its gas from Russia, is tightening its monitoring of the market.

Under an existing gas emergency plan, the “early warning phase”, which both Germany and Austria have begun, is the first of three steps designed to prepare the country for a potential supply shortage. In its final stage, the governments would bring in gas rationing.

Elsewhere, Bulgaria, which gets 90% of its gas via imports from Russian company Gazprom, has opened a tender for underground drilling as part of plans to almost double the country’s gas storage capacity and prepare for any supply disruptions.

While the UK would not be directly impacted by supply disruption, as it imports less than 5% of its gas from Russia, it would be affected by prices rising in the global markets as demand in Europe increases.

The UK government said it was not planning to pay for Russian gas in roubles.

………………………………………………………

Augustine Eguavoen: Nigeria boss quits after failing to reach World Cup

Augustine Eguavoen has stepped down as Nigeria boss after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Nigeria were eliminated on the away goals rule following a 1-1 draw with Ghana in Abuja in the second leg of their play-off on Tuesday.

Eguavoen, 56, was placed in interim charge of the side in December following the sacking of long-serving coach Gernot Rohr.

He led the team to the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations this year, and was then tasked with reaching the World Cup finals in Qatar.

Nigeria’s exit at the hands of their fierce West African rivals was met by an angry reaction from home supporters, who pelted the Ghanaian delegation with missiles and damaged dugouts and advertising hoardings after staging a pitch invasion.

Since qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 1994, Nigeria have played at six of the past seven tournaments – missing just the 2006 edition in Germany.

Former Nigeria international Eguavoen, who had two previous spells in charge of the national side, will continue in his position as technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Meanwhile, the rest of the Super Eagles coaching staff has been dismissed, and offers of two-and-a-half-year contracts have been withdrawn.

Emmanuel Amuneke, Joseph Yobo and Salisu Yusuf had joined Eguavoen backroom staff last month, with Aloysius Agu retained as goalkeeping coach.

“We thank the coaches and team officials for their service to the nation and wish them success in their future endeavours,” NFF general secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi said.

A statement from the NFF said a new management team would be announced “after a proper review” and would be charged with “reinvigorating the Super Eagles to face future challenges appropriately”.

…………………………………………………………

Ethiopian court orders police to free AP reporters

Ethiopia’s Supreme Court has ordered the police to release two journalists working for the Associated Press after they were granted bail by a lower court earlier this week.

Amir Aman, an AP accredited journalist, and his cameraman Tomas Engeda were arrested in November as they were covering a story about the violence in Ethiopia’s Oromia region.

They were detained under terrorism laws, but have not been charged.

The two have yet to be released and their lawyer, Melkamu Ogo, told the BBC it was possible the police might appeal.

Mr Amir’s family told the BBC they were excited to see him after four months – and hoped their expectations would not be dashed again.

“We are happy that he can walk out of jail now. We hope the police will respect the court’s ruling, and he will be freed,” Nadir Aman, his younger brother, said.

…………………………………………………………

Putin being misled by fearful advisers, US says

Russia ramps up ties with Sudan as Ukraine war rages

Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misled by advisers who are too scared to tell him how badly the war in Ukraine is going, the White House says.

Meanwhile, British intelligence says Russian troops in Ukraine are demoralized, short of equipment and refusing to carry out orders.

Mr Putin is also not being told about the full impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, the White House said.

The Kremlin said the US had a “total misunderstanding” of the situation.

Mr Putin’s chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists: “They simply don’t understand what’s happening in the Kremlin, they don’t understand President Putin, they don’t understand how decisions are taken and they don’t understand the style of our work.”

This was worrying, he added, “because such total misunderstanding leads to wrong decisions which have bad consequences.”

Earlier, White House spokesperson Kate Bedingfield said the US had information that Mr Putin “felt misled by the Russian military” and this had resulted in “persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership”.

“Putin’s war has been a strategic blunder that has left Russia weaker over the long term and increasingly isolated on the world stage,” she said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby called the assessments “discomforting”, because an uninformed Putin could result in a “less than faithful” effort at ending the conflict through peace negotiations.

“The other thing is, you don’t know how a leader like that is going to react to getting bad news,” he said.

Ukrainian forces have begun attempts to retake some areas from Russia, which on Tuesday said it would scale back operations around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv.

Jeremy Fleming, the head of the UK’s cyber-intelligence agency GCHQ, said the move added to indications Russia had “massively misjudged the situation” and had been forced to “significantly rethink”.

“We’ve seen Russian soldiers – short of weapons and morale – refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft,” Mr. Fleming said in a speech to the Australian National University in Canberra.

“And even though Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what’s going on and the extent of these misjudgments must be crystal clear to the regime.”

On the ground, US and Ukrainian officials say Russia is continuing to reposition forces away from Kyiv, probably as part of its effort to refocus on eastern regions.

………………………………………………………