FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT FOR THE HOTLINE:

Natalia Orozco; [email protected]

CONTACT FOR THE PARASOL COOPERATIVE:

Jessica Wade Pfeffer; [email protected]

Following Successful Pilot of New Resource for Survivors, National Domestic Violence Hotline and The Parasol Cooperative Announce Collaboration

AI Chatbot, “Ruth,” offers a new option for domestic violence survivors to reach critical resources on their journey to safety.

Austin, TX – Today, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) announced its collaboration with The Parasol Cooperative, a nonprofit technology organization made up of survivors, advocates and technologists — to leverage technology and expand support for victims and survivors of domestic violence across the United States. Responding to the growing use of AI, The Hotline joined forces with The Parasol Cooperative to pilot Ruth — a first of its kind trauma-informed, AI-powered chatbot — on The Hotline’s website. Ruth is designed to be safe, private, respectful, and supportive of individuals who have experienced abuse, ensuring safe interactions. For many people, live services with The Hotline may not be an option, or they may not be ready to take that step. Ruth uses technology to meet victims and survivors where they are on their journey to secure safety for themselves and their families.

The Hotline believes that technology, which is thoughtfully designed with survivors at the center, can provide a meaningful pathway to safety for victims of domestic violence. While many chatbots like ChatGPT provide value for some tasks, they are not trained to be trauma-informed and can be harmful as a result. Built with protocols and best practices on trauma-informed support, Ruth underwent rigorous testing and includes robust safeguards that were further tested and validated by The Hotline team to ensure alignment with The Hotline’s mission, values and high standards of support.

During a five-week pilot, The Hotline found that nearly 8,000 chats were initiated with the AI chatbot through their website, more than nine times the number estimated. This led to the exchange of more than 80,000 user messages and in many cases, users were encouraged to connect with a live advocate when they could safely do so. User satisfaction scored remarkably high, with 78% of users indicating that they found Ruth’s responses to be helpful.

“Survivors of domestic violence deserve to have their questions about abuse answered, but that may not be possible through live services for some,” said Marty Hand, Chief Technology Officer of The Hotline. “There may be moments where a survivor cannot safely reach out for support, or they just might not be ready to take the step of discussing their relationship with a person. In these instances, a tool like Ruth opens a path to information, support, and safety.”

Ruth will not replace The Hotline’s live, highly trained advocates. It has proven itself to be an additional and accessible tool for survivors to find information, validation, and resources. One Ruth pilot user made it clear exactly how successful and unique this option is: “I have been too afraid to talk to someone about my feelings, and using AI seemed a little easier to handle. Ruth made me feel so seen and made me realize that my concerns were valid…. I am just so happy that I could finally open up.”

“Ruth represents an additional path to safety for survivors, one that meets them where they are and at their own pace,” said Megs Shah, CEO of The Parasol Cooperative. “By embedding trauma-informed principles and rigorous safety protocols into every interaction, we’ve created a resource that’s designed to understand the complexity of abuse and respond with sensitivity. Through our partnership with The Hotline, we’re showing how technology can work to not just connect us but also protect us.”

The Hotline is the only 24/7 hotline specifically dedicated to those impacted by relationship abuse in the United States via live call, chat, and text. Demand for The Hotline’s services has doubled in the last decade. To serve more people impacted by domestic violence, The Hotline has been creating self-service paths to information and resources, which now includes access to Ruth. People reaching out to The Hotline can access Ruth directly on The Hotline’s website in over 80 languages at: https://ruth.thehotline.org/

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About the National Domestic Violence Hotline

The National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline), established in 1996, serves those impacted by relationship abuse in the U.S. 24/7 with free and confidential live services provided via phone, chat, and text. The Hotline envisions a world where all relationships are positive, healthy, and free from violence.

If you or someone you know is experiencing relationship abuse in any form, help is available — text START to 88788, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or chat online at TheHotline.org. You are not alone.

About The Parasol Cooperative

The Parasol Cooperative is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to leveraging technology to protect vulnerable individuals, especially those affected by tech-facilitated abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, and digital harassment. Founded by a group of survivors, advocates, and technologists, The Parasol Cooperative believes everyone deserves to live in a safe and healthy environment, whether that is online or in person. To support their mission, the organization has developed two products: Ruth and SafeConnect that provide secure access to resources and support, all while preserving user privacy. The work spans multiple sectors and nations while partnering with multi-national organizations to extend the reach of their solutions, ensuring survivors can safely access the help they need and organizations are equipped with tools that can help streamline their work, reduce costs, and worker burnout. To learn more about Ruth and The Parasol Cooperative, visit ParasolCooperative.org. Follow The Parasol Cooperative on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X.