Zanele Sokatsha, centre, sincansaglik.com lead research study for the GRIT project
She states she was violated by police. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that informs personal security to help other women captured in South Africa's unfortunately high rates of abuse.
Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex worker asked to be recognized, vetlek.ru is amongst the more than a third of South African females that will experience physical or sexual assault in their life times, hb9lc.org according to UN figures.
Slender and outspoken, she remained in a group of around 15 females who collected late January to workshop the latest update of the app developed by the nonprofit 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 include 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 security officers, an an AI-driven chatbot
"This app, it's going to give me that hope ... that my human rights must be thought about," Peaches told AFP, asking not to provide her genuine name to protect 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 ladies were murdered, bphomesteading.com a 34 percent increase from the previous year.
In Peaches' case, she said she was required to give two 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 informed AFP.
"I wished to produce tech-driven solutions that empower survivors, guaranteeing they get the urgent aid, legal assistance and psychological assistance they require without barriers," Tima said.
- 'Roadblocks to help' -
Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported because victims face preconception 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 states
"There's a great deal of obstructions still in getting gain access to and aid," she said.
Thato, a lady in her 30s, said she sustained years of physical abuse by her stepfather before she discovered aid was available.
An avid football player, she said her coach understood that "some bruises were not actually associated to football".
It was just when the coach took the team to an anti-GBV event in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, that she found out there were organisations that help women in her situation.
"It was really heartfelt for me to discover such an area," she said, choosing to offer just her first name.
GRIT's app aims to make it much easier for ladies to gain access to resources from their homes, where much of the abuse takes place.
It has a map of nearby centers and shelters and a digital vault where they can submit proof like pictures, videos and cops reports that will be protected on GRIT's servers.
The features are based upon user feedback gathered at workshops around the nation.
"It will save lives," said one woman at the same workshop participated in by Peaches.
The app is totally free, funded by GRIT's donors consisting of 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 manage phone plans or pipewiki.org remain in backwoods 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 initially meant to supply only practical details, like how to obtain a order.
But its repertoire has been expanded 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 help women 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 "a perfect storm" of an intricate history of colonisation and segregation, belief in male dominance, an absence of great good example and financial stresses, said Craig Wilkinson, creator of Father A Nation.
"No boy is born an abuser," said Wilkinson, wiki.fablabbcn.org whose not-for-profit concentrates on reaching men. "There's something failing in the journey from boy to guy."
"All they know is violence," said Sandile Masiza, a coordinator 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, however perpetrator avoidance," Masiza said.
"Society has normalised violence against ladies and ladies," UN Women GBV professional 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."
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AI App Offers a Lifeline For S.Africa's Abused Women
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