Zanele Sokatsha, centre, lead research for the GRIT job

She states she was broken by police. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that alerts private security to help other ladies captured in South Africa's tragically high rates of abuse.

Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex worker asked to be identified, is among the more than a 3rd of South African ladies that will experience physical or sexual abuse in their life times, according to UN figures.

Slender and outspoken, she remained in a group of around 15 ladies who gathered late January to workshop the current update of the app developed 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 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 button that deploys security officers, an an AI-driven chatbot

"This app, it's going to give me that hope ... that my human rights should be thought about," Peaches told AFP, asking not to give 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 police figures.

That exact same year, 5,578 ladies were killed, a 34 percent rise from the previous year.

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

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

"I desired to develop tech-driven solutions that empower survivors, ensuring they get the immediate aid, legal assistance and psychological support they need without barriers," Tima said.

- 'Roadblocks to help' -

Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported since victims deal with 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 lot 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.

A passionate football gamer, she said her coach understood that "some contusions were not in fact associated to football".

It was just when the coach took the team to an anti-GBV occasion in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, that she found out there were organisations that assist women in her situation.

"It was actually heartfelt for me to find such an area," she said, choosing to give only her given name.

GRIT's app aims to make it much easier for females to gain access to resources from their homes, where much of the abuse happens.

It has a map of close-by clinics and shelters and a digital vault where they can submit proof like images, videos and ura.cc police reports that will be secured on GRIT's servers.

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

"It will conserve lives," said one lady at the exact 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 information, making it available to those who can not afford phone plans or remain in rural areas with minimal networks.

The chatbot Zuzi, to be released in the coming months, will be available on the app and likewise incorporated into certain social platforms, technical lead Lebogang Sindani said.

Zuzi was at first planned to supply only useful details, like how to obtain a defense order.

But its collection has actually been expanded after feedback "that people are more thinking about talking 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 attacked 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 a complicated history of colonisation and partition, belief in male dominance, a lack of great good example and economic tensions, said Craig Wilkinson, creator of Father A Nation.

"No kid is born an abuser," said Wilkinson, whose not-for-profit concentrates on reaching guys. "There's something failing in the journey from kid to male."

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

"We need more programmes that are not just going to be solely focused on victim support, but criminal prevention," Masiza said.

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