AI App Offers A Lifeline For S.Africa s Abused Women

Zanele Sokatsha, centre, lead research for the GRIT job


She states she was breached by cops. Now she's brainstorming an AI-integrated app with a panic button that notifies private security to help other females captured in South Africa's unfortunately high rates of abuse.


Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex employee asked to be recognized, is among the more than a third of South African women that will experience physical or sexual assault in their lifetimes, according to UN figures.


Slender and outspoken, she remained in a group of around 15 ladies who collected late January to workshop the current upgrade of the app developed by the nonprofit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech).


Equipped with an emergency situation button that releases 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 deploys gatekeeper, an an chatbot


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


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


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


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


"To me, GRIT isn't just a task-- it's a requirement," founder Leanora Tima informed AFP.


"I desired to develop tech-driven options that empower survivors, ensuring they receive the urgent 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 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 female in her 30s, said she sustained years of physical abuse by her stepfather before she found aid was available.


A passionate football gamer, she said her coach realised that "some bruises were not really related to football".


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


"It was really heartfelt for me to discover such a space," she said, preferring to give only her very first 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 takes place.


It has a map of close-by centers and shelters and valetinowiki.racing a digital vault where they can upload proof like images, videos and police reports that will be safeguarded on GRIT's servers.


The features are based on user feedback collected at workshops around the country.


"It will save lives," said one woman at the 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 already 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 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 planned to supply only practical details, like how to obtain a security order.


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


- 'All they know' -


Even if there are more services than ever to assist 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 good role models and financial tensions, said Craig Wilkinson, founder of Father A Nation.


"No kid 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 man."


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


"We require more programmes that are not just going to be solely concentrated on victim assistance, however wrongdoer avoidance," Masiza said.


"Society has normalised violence against women and women," UN Women GBV professional Jennifer Acio informed AFP.


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