Case Study: Tahla
PRIOR TO PLAYING THE DK DEFENDERS GAMES, TAHLA YASEEN KNEW NOTHING ABOUT ONLINE AND REAL-LIFE DANGERS SUCH AS INAPPROPRIATE ONLINE REQUESTS, TOUCHING AND SHARING INTIMATE PICTURES.
He did know about the danger posed by strangers, however, having once had a frightening experience in a shop where the shopkeeper grabbed his hand and refused to let it go.
He escaped and went home to tell his mother, but Tahla’s lack of further understanding of why strangers can pose such dangers online and in real life was shared by very many of his peers and understood by parents of students, who realized how vulnerable their children were.
"Discussing sexual abuse, calling out an abusive adult and talking about personal safety is a big taboo in our culture and specially discussing it with children," one parent said.
"I have three daughters and we are always concerned about their personal safety. It weighs heavily on my mind when I have to travel with them or attend a large gathering."
The games helped enormously with this, calming the parents’ fears as they saw how the children gained vital knowledge during their learning journey, with Tahla walking away feeling safe and empowered.
"My favourite part was the way the Trusted Adult figure would come to hug us and help us whenever we would fall down," said Tahla. "It felt really nice to see it. It reminded me of how my mother hugs me.
"Now I feel comfortable in discussing such things with my parents and I know now how to protect myself.
"Even if I am deaf, no-one should think I am weak."
Case Study: Msebe
ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD MSEBE, FROM DURBAN IN SOUTH AFRICA, HAD NEVER PLAYED A GAME LIKE DK DEFENDERS BEFORE, AND IT WAS, IN HER OPINION, GREAT FUN.
"My favourite," she told researchers with a big smile. "Enjoyed a lot."
Msebe was one of 302 pupils aged between five and 15 and living in Durban who took part in the trials and learned a whole host of lessons about how to recognise potentially abusive situations and how to act appropriately.
"It is wrong," signed Msebe, when asked what she would do if someone took her to a private place and showed her a picture of someone who was naked.
"If the person made me feel scared, I would say STOP (with voice) and would run to tell my Mom about the person."
The South African students had limited access to computer equipment and the internet, as well as low levels of literacy, which made it difficult for them to express themselves.
However, Debra Clelland, who led the South African trials, said the team were able to read the pupils’ body language, which showed a huge difference in the children by the end.
"We don’t know what they would do in a real-life abuse situation, but the games achieved their purpose because they overcame the communication barriers and the children did repeat the messaging they’d seen back to us," she said.
"One of the children said that playing the games had been the best thing he’d ever done and when we finished, we really felt we’d made a difference."