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Zanele Sokatsha, hb9lc.org centre, asteroidsathome.net 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 signals private security to assist other ladies caught in South Africa's unfortunately high rates of abuse.

Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex worker asked to be recognized, is amongst the more than a 3rd of South African females that will experience physical or sexual assault in their lifetimes, according to UN figures.

Slender and outspoken, she in a group of around 15 ladies who collected late January to workshop the most current update of the app developed by the nonprofit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech).

Equipped with an emergency situation button that deploys gatekeeper, a proof 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 button that releases gatekeeper, an an AI -driven chatbot

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

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

That exact same year, 5,578 females 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 evade arrest for prostitution.

"To me, GRIT isn't just a task-- it's a requirement," creator Leanora Tima told AFP.

"I wished to produce tech-driven options that empower survivors, guaranteeing they get the immediate aid, legal assistance and emotional assistance they require without barriers," Tima said.

- 'Roadblocks to assist' -

Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported since victims face preconception or are turned away by authorities, said GRIT lead researcher Zanele Sokatsha.

'There's a lot 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 discovered aid was available.

A passionate football gamer, she said her coach understood that "some contusions 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, yogicentral.science that she discovered there were organisations that assist ladies in her scenario.

"It was actually heartfelt for me to find such an area," she said, preferring to provide just her given name.

GRIT's app aims to make it simpler 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 upload evidence like pictures, videos and authorities reports that will be protected on GRIT's servers.

The features are based upon user feedback gathered at workshops around the country.

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

The app is totally free, moneyed 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 afford 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 also 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 actually been expanded after feedback "that individuals are more interested in speaking to Zuzi about ... intimate things" like their health, Sindani said.

- 'All they know' -

Even if there are more services than ever to help women 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 excellent role models and economic stresses, said Craig Wilkinson, creator of Father A Nation.

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

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

"We need more programs that are not just going to be solely concentrated on victim support, but perpetrator prevention," Masiza said.

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