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Zanele Sokatsha, centre, lead research for the GRIT job

She says she was breached by cops. Now she's brainstorming an AI -integrated app with a panic button that informs private security to help other females caught in South Africa's tragically high rates of abuse.

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

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

Equipped with an emergency situation button that deploys security officers, an evidence 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 button that deploys security officers, an an AI-driven chatbot

"This app, it's going to provide me that hope ... that my human rights must be considered," Peaches told AFP, asking not to provide 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 ladies were murdered, a 34 percent rise from the previous year.

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

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

"I desired to produce tech-driven services that empower survivors, ensuring they receive the immediate aid, legal guidance and psychological support they require without barriers," Tima said.

- 'Roadblocks to assist' -

Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported due to the fact that 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 states

"There's a lot of roadblocks 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 gamer, she said her coach understood that "some bruises were not in fact associated to football".

It was only when the coach took the team to an anti-GBV occasion in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, that she learned there were organisations that assist ladies in her scenario.

"It was really heartfelt for me to find such an area," she said, choosing to offer 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 clinics and shelters and a digital vault where they can publish proof like images, videos and police reports that will be secured on GRIT's servers.

The functions are based on user feedback collected at workshops around the nation.

"It will save lives," said one female at the 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 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 also integrated into certain social platforms, technical lead Lebogang Sindani said.

Zuzi was initially intended to supply only useful details, like how to obtain a defense order.

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

- 'All they understand' -

Even if there are more services than ever to help 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 "a perfect storm" of a complicated history of colonisation and partition, belief in male dominance, a lack of excellent role designs and economic tensions, said Craig Wilkinson, creator of Father A Country.

"No young boy is born an abuser," said Wilkinson, pattern-wiki.win whose nonprofit focuses on reaching males. "There's something failing in the journey from young boy to man."

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

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

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

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