None in three: Preventing domestic violence through pro-social gaming

None in Three: Preventing domestic violence through pro-social gaming EU, University of Huddersfield, & RCUK Global Challenges scheme, 2016-2020

This project on the prevention of domestic violence has conducted new research with women in especially vulnerable circumstances and has also explored the perspectives of men and youth about the causes of violence and also in producing solutions. The project is ground-breaking in that it has provided new insights into the effects of domestic violence during pregnancy and how women with disabilities are at an increased risk of dependency and long-term abuse. Complementing this research, the project is also building the first interactive prosocial computer game for use as an education and prevention tool to empower victims and change attitudes that contribute to violent and aggressive behaviour. The project is making highly innovative use of social media in its public engagement campaign to raise awareness across society and encourage individuals to become spokespersons against domestic violence. In addition, a Survivor’s Blog allows victims and their families to tell their stories while remaining anonymous and their full narratives are shared on the project website to allow the public an uncensored view into the lived reality of violence in the home and how it affects children and families across their life course. The project has also carried out a psycho-social survey of children’s attitudes to and experiences of relationship violence. Involving 1,500 children and young people from two countries, this survey is based on the creation of a survey framework involving a psychosocial profile especially designed for the countries involved. Providing the first ever base-line data for governments on children’s attitudes to violence, the survey framework will also enable researchers to evaluate changes in children’s experiences of violence over time. The Ni3 project has recently received awards for its work on reducing gender based violence including winning the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) Engage award out of 180 universities in the category of Health and Well-being; as well as the Queen’s Award for its research with vulnerable children and families. (http://noneinthree.hud.ac.uk/) PI: A.D.Jones@hud.ac.uk