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Zanele Sokatsha, centre, lead research for the GRIT task

She states she was violated by police. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that alerts personal security to assist 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 third of South African women 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 most current upgrade 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 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 releases security officers, an an AI-driven chatbot

"This app, it's going to provide me that hope ... that my human rights ought to be thought about," Peaches informed AFP, asking not to provide her real name to secure 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 cops figures.

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

In Peaches' case, she said she was required to provide two policemans "services totally free" to avert arrest for prostitution.

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

"I wished to develop tech-driven services that empower survivors, ensuring they receive the immediate aid, legal assistance and psychological assistance they require without barriers," Tima said.

- 'Roadblocks to help' -

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

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

An avid football player, she said her coach realised that "some swellings were not actually related to football".

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

"It was really heartwarming for me to find such a space," she said, choosing to provide only her first name.

aims to make it easier for ladies to gain access to resources from their homes, where much of the abuse occurs.

It has a map of neighboring clinics and shelters and a digital vault where they can upload proof like photos, 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 conserve lives," said one female at the same workshop attended 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 manage 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 also incorporated into certain social platforms, technical lead Lebogang Sindani said.

Zuzi was at first meant to supply only practical details, like how to obtain a security order.

But its repertoire has actually been broadened after feedback "that people are more thinking about talking with Zuzi about ... intimate things" like their health, Sindani said.

- 'All they understand' -

Even if there are more services than ever to assist ladies 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 a complex history of colonisation and segregation, belief in male supremacy, an absence of great good example and financial stresses, said Craig Wilkinson, creator of Father A Country.

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

"All they know is violence," said Sandile Masiza, a coordinator of the GBV Response Team for Johannesburg's child welfare authority.

"We require more programmes that are not simply going to be entirely concentrated on victim support, but criminal prevention," Masiza said.

"Society has actually normalised violence against females and ladies," UN Women GBV expert 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 know when to report."