Overview
SHIELD is a 36-month Erasmus+ project (2024–2027) that aims to tackle gender-based violence (GBV)—particularly stalking, harassment, dating violence, and online grooming—among youth in Europe. By blending innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) with youth work best practices, SHIELD seeks to improve both the detection of GBV risk and the support offered to victims and those at risk. 

Key Activities

• AI Chatbot & App Development: Designing and training an AI-driven chatbot to detect, flag, and respond to GBV indicators among young people in digital settings.
• Training & Awareness: Creating an interactive online platform where youth workers, educators, and caregivers can access tailored training modules, best-practice resources, and policy guidelines on GBV prevention and response.
• Ethics & Data Protection: Ensuring responsible data handling, informed consent, and transparency in AI usage—crucial for safeguarding privacy when working with sensitive information.
• Policy & Research: Producing research-based recommendations for stakeholders, including policy-makers and civil society, to drive long-term improvements in GBV prevention across Europe.

University of Oldenburg’s Role
The University of Oldenburg leads the project’s ethics, policy, and methodology research. This includes:

• Establishing ethical and data-protection frameworks for AI solutions.
• Conducting in-depth desk research on EU and international policies around AI and GBV.
• Coordinating data collection and analysis to build diverse, accurate datasets for training the chatbot.
• Contributing to publications and guidelines that ensure the project’s outcomes meet rigorous scientific and ethical standards.

By combining the University’s academic strengths in AI,  Policy, and quali- quantitative studies with the expertise of partner institutions from across Europe, SHIELD aims to create safer environments, empower youth workers, and demonstrate how AI can be a positive force against gender-based violence.

01/10/2024 to 01/10/2027

• Prof. Dr-Ing. Jorge Marx Gómez
• Timothy Musharu