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 alerts personal security to help other women caught in South Africa's unfortunately high rates of abuse.

Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex worker asked to be identified, is amongst the more than a 3rd of South African women that will experience physical or photorum.eclat-mauve.fr sexual assault in their life times, 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 update of the app established 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 consist 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 security officers, an an AI-driven chatbot

"This app, it's going to offer me that hope ... that my human rights need to be considered," Peaches told AFP, asking not to provide her real name to safeguard her safety.

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

That very same year, 5,578 women were murdered, a 34 percent increase from the previous year.

In Peaches' case, she said she was forced to give 2 policemans "services totally free" to evade arrest for prostitution.

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

"I wanted to create tech-driven services that empower survivors, guaranteeing they receive the urgent aid, legal assistance and psychological assistance they need 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 scientist Zanele Sokatsha.

'There's a lot of roadblocks still in getting gain access to and aid,' Sokatsha states

"There's a great deal of roadblocks 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 found aid was available.

A passionate football player, she said her coach understood that "some contusions were not actually associated to football".

It was just when the coach took the group to an anti-GBV event in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, that she learned there were organisations that assist ladies in her .

"It was actually heartfelt for me to discover such an area," she said, choosing to give just 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 takes place.

It has a map of neighboring clinics and shelters and a digital vault where they can submit proof like pictures, videos and authorities reports that will be protected on GRIT's servers.

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

"It will save lives," said one woman at the exact same workshop gone to 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 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 likewise integrated into certain social platforms, technical lead Lebogang Sindani said.

Zuzi was initially intended to provide only useful details, like how to obtain a protection order.

But its repertoire has been broadened after feedback "that people 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 assaulted and strong public condemnation of cases that make it to the media, South Africa's abuse rates remain stubbornly high.

It is "a best storm" of an intricate history of colonisation and segregation, belief in male dominance, an absence of excellent good example and financial tensions, said Craig Wilkinson, founder of Father A Nation.

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

"All they understand 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 concentrated on victim assistance, however perpetrator avoidance," Masiza said.

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

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