DeafKidz Defenders

Children living with disabilities are 3.7 more likely to experience violence and 3 times more likely to experience sexual violence compared with their peers [1]. For deaf children, the risk of sexual violence is 2-3 times higher than among hearing children [2]. Deaf leaders and frontline practitioners have long surfaced these realities behind the numbers, showing how stigma, prejudice, as well as the absence of safe and accessible channels for disclosure, make deaf children especially vulnerable.

The team’s lived and practice expertise highlight that despite this documented disparity, there are few accessible resources available for deaf children to learn about abuse and ways to protect themselves and seek help - especially in low-resource settings. Further barriers to learning include low literacy levels among deaf children, challenges with interpersonal communication, and lack of sign language literacy among wider society. All this leads to deaf children having reduced interpersonal safeguarding skills and not knowing how to disclose and get help when experiencing abuse and violence. 

Since schools play a dual role – as both a child’s main source of education and a site at which harm can occur – effective school-based interventions for children living with disabilities are critically needed.

How practice-based knowledge shaped the program 

DeafKidz International (DKI) is a deaf-led organisation, founded by Steve Crump, who is deaf. DKI emerged from Crump’s learnings from working in conflict and post-conflict settings, combined with practitioner and lived expertise from deaf communities, which revealed widespread but largely invisible abuse faced by deaf children. Building on these insights, DKI developed DeafKidz Defenders.  

Practice and lived expertise from deaf teachers, frontline workers, digital specialists, and families highlighted that the reading levels of deaf children are often lower than those of their peers, and that they learn best through interactive, visual methods. Guided by this knowledge, the first prototype game focused on consent, recognising abuse, and empowering children to say no when something felt uncomfortable. Feedback from deaf children directly shaped its expansion into a broader set of mini-games that taught various protective behaviours.

What it is and how it works

The DeafKidz Defenders program uses a play-based EdTech resource with thematic minigames and scenarios to increase deaf and hard-of-hearing children’s ability to recognize and respond to online and offline abuse. Alongside this, deaf-specific safeguarding training is delivered to teachers, caregivers, and other key adults in the child’s life. Practice-based knowledge  – knowledge gained over years through the development of the programme – has guided key design choices, including the use of minimal text, visual play-based learning, and the inclusion of strong deaf role models as facilitators.  

DeafKidz Defenders was designed to be delivered in a school environment by DKI facilitators or teaching staff from the schools themselves in the children’s first language (national sign languages). Given the program’s sensitive content, delivery is done in a familiar environment with safeguarding protocols where children can safely discuss topics and have any possible disclosures handled appropriately.

Program evaluation and outcomes

DeafKidz Defenders was piloted across 10 schools in Pakistan (with 318 children ages 7 to 11), and South Africa (with 302 children ages 5 to 15) from May to September, 2022 through two partner organisations: Deaf Reach (Pakistan) and Thrive (South Africa).  

It also received a second external evaluation in 2025 by Southern Hemisphere, a South Africa based research agency. It evaluated rollouts in South Africa, Zambia, and Pakistan.  

Qualitative:

• Session observations.
• Focus group discussions and key informant interviews with children and teachers.

 Quantitative:

• Pre- and post-program surveys to assess children’s knowledge of abuse and protective behaviors.
• Pre- and post-program surveys to assess teachers’ knowledge of and confidence in child safeguarding, as well as the outcomes of the program in their classrooms.
• Parent surveys.

Pre-program findings:

• Children had little to no knowledge of what constitutes abuse or how to handle unsafe situations.
• Teachers were worried about student safety and often handled disclosures, but only half had received some form of safeguarding training.
• Parents felt confident in keeping their children safe but did not have knowledge of child safeguarding concepts.

Over 90% of children participating in DeafKidz Defenders demonstrate an increased understanding of abuse and protective behaviors. One message that resonated particularly well with children was ‘say stop and find a trusted adult’. 

In addition, the program increases the actionable, deaf-specific safeguarding knowledge of teachers, parents, and professionals. 95% of teachers reported being better equipped to handle cases of abuse and teach deaf kids’ topics covered by DeafKidz Defenders. 

The evaluation showed that the innovative, blended approach of combining play-based digital learning with face-to-face facilitated activities was effective in helping most deaf children in the pilot schools improve their knowledge of abuse and protective behaviors. The program is particularly effective for children with lower language development, as they could learn more easily through visual, play-based elements. Children are 7 times more likely to speak out, say no, and get help.

Since 2022, DKI has expanded the programme to Zambia and Kenya. As of 2025, over 3000 deaf children have been reached across these 4 countries.

Challenges: 

• Deaf children’s ability to recognize abuse in real life: This is due to limited socialization due to (relative) isolation, communicaiton barriers, and reduced incidental learning.
• Barriers to learning: Without dedicated programs, the communication and learning barriers deaf children face hinder their ability to absorb key protective skills.

Lessons learned:

• Parental and teacher engagement: While the program improved children’s knowledge, long-term engagement with teachers, caregivers and other duty-bearers is necessary to ensure that holistic safeguarding is being achieved at home, at school, and at a community level.
• Scalability: The program demonstrated effectiveness but would require greater investment and adaptation to be implemented at a scale.
• Combining online material with in-person teaching: Children learned more when teachers implemented blended learning strategies in the classroom.
• Practice-based knowledge and lived expertise: Input from deaf children, parents, and practitioners showed that interactive, visual play was essential for learning, leading to the design of simple, sign-language-based games that children could understand and use.