TEARS Foundation Shortlisted Candidate in EMEA
The Problem
In South Africa a child is raped every 3 minutes and the country is marked by very high levels of abuse, violence against and exploitation of children. It is estimated that more than 88% of child abuse is never reported.
Children have been dis-empowered to tell what has happened to them due to various factors, including being threatened, bribed or simply not knowing how and where to share. Often members of the family are often aware of the abuse but do not report.
The Solution
Medi-App is an African first. It is a reporting tool developed to assist medical clinicians in tracking and recording patients where abuse is suspected or confirmed. Medical professionals will capture the relevant information regarding the sexual or violent abuse of children (u/12). Should the guardian take the child to multiple different facilities for medical attention, the next medical professional to assist the patient will be able to view the previous information captured at another / any other medical facility. This service will almost certainly increase the ability of clinicians to report sexual or violent abuse; this will lead to increased convictions of perpetrators and more accurate recording of statistics/facts about child abuse. This innovation will play a significant positive role in the lives of all abused children and is a giant leap towards building strong communities.