Zanele Sokatsha, timeoftheworld.date centre, lead research study for the GRIT project
She says she was violated by cops. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that alerts private security to assist 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 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 females who collected late January to workshop the most recent update of the app established by the not-for-profit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech).
Equipped with an emergency 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 situation button that deploys gatekeeper, an an AI-driven chatbot
"This app, it's going to give me that hope ... that my human rights should be considered," Peaches informed AFP, asking not to offer 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 exact same year, 5,578 females were murdered, raovatonline.org a 34 percent rise from the previous year.
In Peaches' case, she said she was forced to give two policemans "services totally free" to evade arrest for prostitution.
"To me, GRIT isn't just a project-- it's a requirement," creator Leanora Tima informed AFP.
"I desired to produce tech-driven services that empower survivors, ensuring they get the urgent aid, legal guidance and psychological assistance they require without barriers," Tima said.
- 'Roadblocks to assist' -
Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported due to the fact that victims deal with preconception or are turned away by authorities, said GRIT lead scientist 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 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 realised that "some bruises were not actually associated to football".
It was only when the coach took the team to an anti-GBV event in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, that she discovered there were organisations that help women in her scenario.
"It was actually heartfelt for me to find such a space," she said, choosing to offer only her very first name.
GRIT's app aims to make it much easier for ladies 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 upload evidence like photos, videos and police reports that will be protected on GRIT's servers.
The functions are based on user feedback collected at workshops around the country.
"It will save lives," said one female at the same workshop gone to by Peaches.
The app is totally free, funded 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 plans or remain in backwoods with limited networks.
The chatbot Zuzi, to be launched in the coming months, will be available on the app and likewise incorporated into certain social platforms, technical lead Lebogang Sindani said.
Zuzi was initially planned to provide only practical details, like how to obtain a defense order.
But its repertoire has actually been widened after feedback "that individuals are more interested in talking with 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 a complex history of colonisation and partition, belief in male dominance, a lack of excellent function designs 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 males. "There's something failing in the journey from kid to male."
"All they know is violence," said Sandile Masiza, a coordinator of the Team for Johannesburg's child well-being authority.
"We need more programs that are not just going to be entirely focused on victim assistance, however criminal avoidance," Masiza said.
"Society has actually normalised violence against females and women," UN Women GBV professional Jennifer Acio informed 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."
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AI App Offers a Lifeline For S.Africa's Abused Women
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