Zanele Sokatsha, centre, lead research study for the GRIT project
She states she was broken by authorities. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that signals personal security to help other females caught in South Africa's tragically high rates of abuse.
Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex worker asked to be recognized, is among the more than a third of South African ladies that will experience physical or sexual abuse in their life times, utahsyardsale.com 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 upgrade of the app developed by the nonprofit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech).
Equipped with an emergency button that releases gatekeeper, a proof vault and a resource centre, the app will likewise consist of an AI-driven chatbot called Zuzi that will be showcased at the Action Summit in Paris this month.
The app has an emergency 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, asking not to give her genuine name to protect 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 police figures.
That same year, 5,578 females were murdered, a 34 percent increase from the previous year.
In Peaches' case, she said she was required to offer two policemans "services free of charge" to evade arrest for prostitution.
"To me, GRIT isn't simply a task-- it's a need," creator Leanora Tima told AFP.
"I desired to develop tech-driven options that empower survivors, ensuring they get the urgent aid, legal guidance and psychological assistance they require without barriers," Tima said.
- 'Roadblocks to help' -
Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported since victims face stigma or are turned away by authorities, said GRIT lead researcher Zanele Sokatsha.
'There's a lot of obstructions still in getting gain access to and aid,' Sokatsha says
"There's a great deal of roadblocks 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 discovered aid was available.
An avid football gamer, she said her coach understood that "some swellings were not in fact related to football".
It was only when the coach took the team to an anti-GBV event in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, that she learned there were organisations that help ladies in her scenario.
"It was actually heartwarming for me to find such an area," she said, choosing to provide only her very first name.
GRIT's app aims to make it easier for women to gain access to resources from their homes, where much of the abuse occurs.
It has a map of neighboring centers and shelters and a digital vault where they can submit proof like pictures, videos and cops reports that will be secured on GRIT's servers.
The functions are based upon user feedback collected at workshops around the country.
"It will save lives," said one female at the very same workshop attended by Peaches.
The app is free, moneyed 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 afford phone plans or remain in rural areas with restricted networks.
The chatbot Zuzi, to be launched in the coming months, will be available on the app and akropolistravel.com also integrated into certain social platforms, technical lead Lebogang Sindani said.
Zuzi was initially planned to supply only useful details, like how to obtain a security order.
But its collection has been widened after feedback "that individuals are more interested in speaking to 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 "an ideal storm" of a complicated history of colonisation and segregation, belief in male dominance, an absence of excellent good example and economic tensions, said Craig Wilkinson, creator of Father A Country.
"No young boy is born an abuser," said Wilkinson, whose nonprofit concentrates on reaching men. "There's something failing in the journey from boy to male."
"All they know is violence," said Sandile Masiza, a planner of the GBV Response Team for Johannesburg's kid welfare authority.
"We need more programmes that are not just going to be exclusively focused on victim assistance, however perpetrator prevention," Masiza said.
"Society has normalised violence against ladies and girls," UN Women GBV professional Jennifer Acio informed AFP.
"That's why we keep sharing details and attempting to empower women ... to understand what is an abuse of their rights, to know when to report."
1
AI App Offers a Lifeline For S.Africa's Abused Women
desmondgwin02 edited this page 2025-02-13 18:47:31 +01:00