Zanele Sokatsha, centre, lead research study for the GRIT project
She states she was broken by authorities. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that informs personal security to help other women caught 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 assault in their life times, according to UN figures.
Slender and outspoken, she remained in a group of around 15 females who gathered late January to workshop the most recent upgrade of the app developed by the not-for-profit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech).
Equipped with an emergency situation button that deploys security officers, 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 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 informed AFP, asteroidsathome.net asking not to give her genuine 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 cops figures.
That very same year, 5,578 women were killed, a 34 percent increase from the previous year.
In case, she said she was forced to provide 2 law enforcement officers "services free of charge" to avert arrest for prostitution.
"To me, GRIT isn't just a project-- it's a necessity," creator Leanora Tima told AFP.
"I wanted to develop tech-driven services that empower survivors, ensuring they receive the immediate aid, legal guidance and emotional assistance they require without barriers," Tima said.
- 'Roadblocks to help' -
Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported since victims face preconception or are turned away by authorities, said GRIT lead scientist Zanele Sokatsha.
'There's a great deal of roadblocks still in getting gain access to and aid,' Sokatsha says
"There's a great deal of obstructions 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 player, she said her coach realised that "some bruises were not really associated to football".
It was just when the coach took the group to an anti-GBV occasion in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, that she found out there were organisations that help women in her scenario.
"It was really heartwarming for me to find such a space," she said, preferring to offer just her given name.
GRIT's app aims to make it easier for females to gain access to resources from their homes, forum.pinoo.com.tr where much of the abuse takes place.
It has a map of nearby centers and shelters and a digital vault where they can upload proof like photos, videos and police reports that will be protected on GRIT's servers.
The features are based on user feedback gathered at workshops around the nation.
"It will conserve lives," said one female at the very same workshop gone to by Peaches.
The app is totally free, funded by GRIT's donors including the Gates Foundation and Expertise France. It already has 12,000 users.
Once downloaded, it can work without information, making it available to those who can not afford phone strategies or remain in rural locations with restricted networks.
The chatbot Zuzi, to be launched in the coming months, will be available on the app and likewise integrated into certain social platforms, technical lead Lebogang Sindani said.
Zuzi was at first intended to provide only useful details, like how to obtain a security order.
But its repertoire has actually been broadened after feedback "that individuals 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 females 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 "an ideal storm" of a complicated history of colonisation and segregation, belief in male supremacy, an absence of great function designs and economic tensions, said Craig Wilkinson, founder of Father A Country.
"No young boy is born an abuser," said Wilkinson, whose not-for-profit focuses on reaching males. "There's something failing in the journey from young boy to guy."
"All they understand is violence," said Sandile Masiza, a coordinator of the GBV Response Team for Johannesburg's kid well-being authority.
"We require more programmes that are not simply going to be entirely concentrated on victim assistance, but wrongdoer prevention," Masiza said.
"Society has normalised violence against women and girls," UN Women GBV expert Jennifer Acio informed AFP.
"That's why we keep sharing details and trying to empower ladies ... to know 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
Adela Rowland edited this page 2025-02-10 05:43:36 +02:00