Zanele Sokatsha, centre, lead research study for the GRIT job

She states she was violated by authorities. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that notifies personal security to assist other ladies caught in South Africa's unfortunately high rates of abuse.

Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex employee asked to be identified, is amongst the more than a 3rd of South African women that will experience physical or sexual abuse 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 most recent update of the app established by the not-for-profit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech).

Equipped with an emergency button that releases gatekeeper, a proof 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, prawattasao.awardspace.info an an AI-driven chatbot

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

There were more than 53,000 sexual offences reported in South Africa in 2023-24, consisting of more than 42,500 rapes, according to cops figures.

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

In Peaches' case, she said she was required to offer 2 police officers "services for free" to evade arrest for prostitution.

"To me, GRIT isn't simply a project-- it's a necessity," creator Leanora Tima informed AFP.

"I wished to develop tech-driven services that empower survivors, guaranteeing they receive the immediate aid, legal assistance and emotional support they require without barriers," Tima said.

- 'Roadblocks to help' -

Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported because victims deal with preconception or are turned away by authorities, said GRIT lead scientist Zanele Sokatsha.

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

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

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

A devoted football player, she said her coach realised that "some bruises were not really related to football".

It was just when the coach took the group to an anti-GBV event in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, utahsyardsale.com that she learned there were organisations that assist women in her circumstance.

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

GRIT's app aims to make it easier for women to gain access to resources from their homes, where much of the abuse happens.

It has a map of nearby centers and shelters and a digital vault where they can publish evidence like pictures, videos and police reports that will be secured on GRIT's servers.

The features are based upon user feedback collected at workshops around the nation.

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

The app is free, funded 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 pay for phone strategies or remain in rural areas with limited networks.

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

Zuzi was initially planned to supply only practical details, like how to obtain a protection order.

But its repertoire has been expanded after feedback "that people are more interested in talking with Zuzi about ... intimate things" like their health, Sindani said.

- 'All they understand' -

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

It is "a best storm" of a complex history of colonisation and segregation, belief in male dominance, an absence of great role designs and financial tensions, said Craig Wilkinson, founder of Father A Country.

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

"All they understand is violence," said Sandile Masiza, a planner of the GBV Response Team for Johannesburg's kid welfare authority.

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

"Society has actually 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 ladies ... to know what is an abuse of their rights, to know when to report."