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Zanele Sokatsha, centre, lead research for the GRIT task


She states she was broken by authorities. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that signals private security to assist other women caught in South Africa's tragically high rates of abuse.


Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex worker asked to be identified, is amongst the more than a 3rd of South African women that will experience physical or sexual assault in their life times, according to UN figures.


Slender and outspoken, she remained in a group of around 15 women who gathered late January to workshop the newest update of the app developed by the not-for-profit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech).


Equipped with an emergency situation button that deploys gatekeeper, an evidence vault and a resource centre, the app will also consist of an AI-driven chatbot called Zuzi that will be showcased at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris this month.


The app has an emergency button that deploys security officers, an an AI-driven chatbot


"This app, it's going to offer me that hope ... that my human rights must be thought about," Peaches informed AFP, asking not to give her genuine name to secure her security.


There were more than 53,000 sexual offenses reported in South Africa in 2023-24, including more than 42,500 rapes, according to police figures.


That exact same year, 5,578 ladies were murdered, a 34 percent increase from the previous year.


In Peaches' case, she said she was forced to provide 2 law enforcement officers "services free of charge" to evade arrest for prostitution.


"To me, GRIT isn't just a job-- it's a necessity," founder Leanora Tima told AFP.


"I desired to develop tech-driven options that empower survivors, guaranteeing they receive the immediate aid, legal assistance and psychological assistance they need without barriers," Tima said.


- 'Roadblocks to help' -


Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported due to the fact that victims deal with stigma or are turned away by authorities, said GRIT lead researcher Zanele Sokatsha.


'There's a great deal of obstructions still in getting gain access to and aid,' Sokatsha says


"There's a great deal of obstructions still in getting gain access to and aid," she said.


Thato, a female in her 30s, said she sustained years of physical abuse by her stepfather before she found aid was available.


A passionate football gamer, she said her coach understood that "some swellings were not in fact associated to football".


It was only when the coach took the group to an anti-GBV event in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, that she discovered there were organisations that help women in her circumstance.


"It was really heartwarming for me to find such an area," she said, preferring to give only her given name.


GRIT's app aims to make it simpler for females to gain access to resources from their homes, where much of the abuse occurs.


It has a map of nearby clinics and shelters and a digital vault where they can upload proof like pictures, videos and police reports that will be protected on GRIT's servers.


The features are based on user feedback collected at workshops around the country.


"It will conserve lives," said one female at the very same workshop participated in by Peaches.


The app is complimentary, moneyed by GRIT's donors including the Gates Foundation and Expertise France. It currently has 12,000 users.


Once downloaded, it can work without data, making it available to those who can not afford phone plans or remain in backwoods with minimal networks.


The chatbot Zuzi, setiathome.berkeley.edu to be launched in the coming months, will be available on the app and likewise incorporated into certain social platforms, technical lead Lebogang Sindani said.


Zuzi was at first meant to offer only practical details, like how to obtain a security order.


But its collection has actually been expanded after feedback "that individuals are more interested in speaking with Zuzi about ... intimate things" like their health, Sindani said.


- 'All they know' -


Even if there are more services than ever to assist females who are attacked and strong public condemnation of cases that make it to the media, South Africa's abuse rates remain stubbornly high.


It is "an ideal storm" of an intricate history of colonisation and segregation, vetlek.ru belief in male supremacy, lespoetesbizarres.free.fr a lack of excellent function models and financial stresses, asteroidsathome.net said Craig Wilkinson, creator of Father A Nation.


"No young boy is born an abuser," said Wilkinson, whose nonprofit focuses on reaching guys. "There's something failing in the journey from boy to guy."


"All they understand is violence," said Sandile Masiza, an organizer of the GBV Response Team for Johannesburg's kid well-being authority.


"We require more programmes that are not simply going to be entirely focused on victim assistance, but criminal avoidance," Masiza said.


"Society has normalised violence against ladies and women," UN Women GBV expert Jennifer Acio informed AFP.


"That's why we keep sharing details and attempting to empower females ... to understand what is an abuse of their rights, to know when to report."