Paraguayan children empowered to speak out against sexual abuse by talking dolls

In Paraguay, Amnesty International has launched talking dolls that raise awareness about sexual abuse against children and teach kids to speak out.

In Paraguay, sexual violence against children is a big issue. Over 700 young girls become pregnant following a sexual assault each year. To raise awareness of the problem and empower children to speak out, Amnesty International has partnered with creative agency KAUSA Havas to release a set of talking dolls.

The dolls (which come in a male and female version named Arami and Amaru) start talking when touched on intimate parts of their body to give children the language to speak up in their own defense. The dolls are distributed to children and used in schools and youth groups with the aim of tackling violence against children by educating from a young age.

Last year, we covered Triangle of Life – a mobile app based on trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy which ‘gamifies’ the treatment of young victims of sexual or other violence. How else can the power of play be harnessed to protect and educate young people?