According to the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, South Africa has one of the highest rates of violence against women on the entire continent, with a rate five times the global average. One in four women will experience violence by men, and women are five times more likely to be killed.
According to Bohlale Mphahlele , her inspiration came from watching the news with her father at an early age. She highlights that the increasing rate of human trafficking, rape and gender-based violence with women and children being the major victims, became a disturbing news to her. Her first attempt to create the device was when she was still in primary school.
At an early age of 16-years-old she invented a device, which is known as an “Alerting Ear Piece”, to curb human trafficking and help address issues of gender-based violence. The device can be placed into earrings and can capture photos of the culprits, allowing the police to quickly recognize them. The earpiece has also been designed to send an alert to selected families and friends when the wearer is in despair. It helps alert officials when victims face danger and finds the exact location and tracks the movement of the victim.
Elaborating more how it takes photographs, she said victims can press a small button on the earpiece to activate the camera that will capture the face of the perpetrator. The images can be sent to connected devices as well as law enforcement organization. Mphahlele’s device was showcased at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists in the engineering-electronics and embedded systems category, where she took home the bronze medal.
The impact of Bohlale Mphahlele’s alerting earpiece innovation goes beyond the immediate users to their families and caregivers. The peace of mind that comes with knowing that a loved one can receive crucial alerts effectively contributes to a more inclusive and supportive environment.
She received awards and accolades for the innovation but the journey to making the prototype viable has been painful and full of disappointments. As it stands funding is needed to make the prototype a reality. She also recounts how making the device robbed her of her high school education. She believed that seeing such an innovation will attract many investors to fund her project in order to help her achieve her dream of solving the menace in society.
Bohlale Mphahlele is 19-years old now and having sat for her exams she is hoping to gain admission into the University of Limpopo as she continues to knock on doors to seek funding to develop her “Alerting device” as her contribution to this field represents a significant step forward in the intersection of technology and accessibility.
Source:BBC