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 help other ladies captured in South Africa's tragically high rates of abuse.

Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex employee asked to be identified, is among the more than a third of South African women that will experience physical or sexual assault in their lifetimes, according to UN figures.

Slender and outspoken, it-viking.ch she remained in a group of around 15 females who gathered late January to workshop the current upgrade of the app developed by the not-for-profit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech).

Equipped with an emergency situation button that releases security officers, a proof vault and a resource centre, the app will likewise 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 situation button that releases gatekeeper, an an AI-driven chatbot

"This app, it's going to offer me that hope ... that my human rights ought to be thought about," Peaches informed AFP, pipewiki.org asking not to offer her real name to safeguard her safety.

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

That exact same year, 5,578 women were killed, a 34 percent rise from the previous year.

In Peaches' case, she said she was required to give 2 law enforcement officers "services for totally free" to avert arrest for prostitution.

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

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

- 'Roadblocks to assist' -

Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported since victims face stigma 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, bybio.co said she sustained years of physical abuse by her stepfather before she discovered aid was available.

A passionate football gamer, she said her coach understood that "some bruises were not really associated to football".

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

"It was really heartwarming for me to find such an area," she said, choosing to provide just her very first name.

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

It has a map of close-by centers and shelters and a digital vault where they can upload evidence like images, videos and cops reports that will be safeguarded on GRIT's servers.

The functions are based on user feedback gathered at workshops around the country.

"It will save lives," said one female at the exact same workshop attended by Peaches.

The app is totally free, funded by GRIT's donors including the Gates Foundation and Expertise France. It already has 12,000 users.

Once downloaded, it can work without information, making it available to those who can not pay for phone plans or remain in rural locations with limited networks.

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

Zuzi was at first intended to provide only practical details, like how to obtain a protection order.

But its repertoire has actually been widened after feedback "that individuals are more thinking about talking with Zuzi about ... intimate things" like their health, Sindani said.

- 'All they understand' -

Even if there are more services than ever to assist females 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 perfect storm" of an intricate history of colonisation and partition, belief in male dominance, a lack of good good example and financial stresses, said Craig Wilkinson, creator of Father A Nation.

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

"All they know is violence," said Sandile Masiza, an organizer of the GBV Response Team for Johannesburg's kid welfare authority.

"We require more programmes that are not just going to be entirely concentrated on victim assistance, but wrongdoer prevention," Masiza said.

"Society has actually normalised violence against women 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 understand when to report."