None in Three(Ni3) - A Centre for the Development, Application, Research and Evaluation of Prosocial Games for the Prevention of Gender-based Violence

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VISION - To create a global research centre dedicated to research and serious gaming interventions designed to prioritise the rights of girls and women to live a life free from violence and to prevent violence against those most vulnerable (UN Sustainable Development Goal no. 5; UK Aid Strategy obj.4). The inter-disciplinary, cross-cultural, trans-continental research and partnership platform we will establish will result in a cadre of social scientists and game developers from four ODA-listed countries and the UK, skilled in the development of frontier technologies, advanced research methodologies and policy formulation focused on changing the social and cultural drivers of gender-based violence. This will be known as The DARE Centre: the Centre for the Development, Application, Research and Evaluation of Prosocial Games for the Prevention of Gender-based Violence. International women rights agreements and domestic laws on gender-based violence (GBV) constitute an important step towards its prevention and elimination. However, there is an implementation gap between policy directives and what happens on the ground and unless people understand why regulations should be observed, they can be ineffective. Furthermore policy-led approaches do little to address the underlying cultural attitudes and values that drive GBV. Therefore, key to reducing violence against women and girls are innovative educational and social strategies which recognize the changing world we live within and challenge GBV related attitudes while they are being formed. Targeting children and youths seems crucial for transforming societies and creating a lasting change to the situation of women worldwide. Based on a unique partnership between institutions in the UK, China, Jamaica, Pakistan and Uganda, (the DARE countries) the Centre will build on the University of Huddersfield's existing domestic violence prevention project 'None in Three' (www.noneinthree.org), to expand the social/cultural impact of prosocial games for the prevention of GBV globally. As evidenced by a growing body of research, the development of game technologies has created new outlets for the perpetration of GBV. However, given the appeal of novel technologies to younger generations, technological advancements may also be utilised for prosocial purposes to empower victims and catalyze action against violence. In recent years, researchers and educators have become increasingly aware of the potential benefits of prosocial video games. Unlike other media, video games scaffold children's experience using narrative and audio-visual content, as well as rules and objectives regulating players' behaviour. A recent meta-analytic study revealed a significant association between playing a prosocial video game and positive social outcomes (Greitemeyer & Mügge, 2014). Violent video games, in turn, lead to a bias in the perception of what counts as aggressive, which evokes aggressive behaviour. Importantly, appropriately designed prosocial video games can enhance moral reasoning and foster empathy in a way that the mere presentation of facts through other media outlets cannot accomplish. Empathy reduces aggression and leads to prosocial actions, which strengthen social bonds and integrates societies. Indicative areas of work for the DARE Centre include: China - promoting a culture of protection against sexual abuse and prevention of trafficking; Jamaica - challenging the commoditization of sex and its relationship to the commercial sexual exploitation of children and promoting a culture of personal accountability among men and boys; Pakistan-improving child protection systems in relation to child marriage and honour killings, Uganda-domestic violence, the prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation and child marriage and, the UK-interpersonal violence within adolescent relationships. These activities all seek to prevent gender based violence and elevate the status of women and girls.