Board game teaches UAE pupils their human rights

ABU DHABI // You roll a five and land on X: your rights have been violated.

You lost your sight as a child, did not go to school and as a result cannot get a job.

But you have something up your sleeve. A green card proclaims every child's right to be protected from all kinds of discrimination. For that, you get to pick up another right.

This is Huquuqi ("My Rights"), an Arabic-language board game launched yesterday by the Emirates Association for Human Rights. It aims to teach children aged between 10 and 16 their entitlements under UAE law.

Each green card bears a law. If you have the law that answers a problem that arises you are safe. Otherwise, go back several places.

A thousand copies have been produced and will be distributed to juvenile detention centres, schools and special needs centres in Dubai.

"We want the whole of the UAE to be aware of their rights under UAE laws," said Mohammed Hussain al Hammadi, the secretary general of the association. "We also want children to learn how to consider the rights of others - how not to violate the rights of others."

A year in the making, the game is designed to challenge children to react to scenarios mirroring real life.

"It starts with children," said Sheikha Khawla al Muala, an assistant deputy at the Ministry of Education. "This is about humanity - maths and science will always be taught in our schools.

"There are universal values that are important to the child. If you want to instil the right values of respect and tolerance, you have to start with children.

"Children have rights - the right to education, to fair treatment by their parents. Increasing an awareness of these rights in children will help them to communicate with their own families.

"If a girl learns her rights, she'll know how to discuss them with her father and convince him of her rights in a way that helps the whole family."

The game teaches children the various definitions of freedom based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights, as well as their basic entitlements under UAE laws.

The ministry describes the game as "a learning tool that doesn't lecture children but enables them to play interactively", and is encouraging teachers and parents to use it. "We're helping train teachers in how to use the game as a learning aid in the classroom," said Sheikha al Muala.

"We're encouraging parents to borrow the board games and take them home and play with their whole families.

"We also want to teach children how to deal with those they disagree with or find different ways to deal with them with respect - the code of respect."

Ahmed Ajineh, a teacher at the International Community School in Abu Dhabi, liked the idea of using children's competitive instincts to get ideas across.

"It will generate more interest in the subject," Mr Ajineh said. "Children need to know of their civic rights and duties towards others as citizens. It's even more effective if teachers implement it as part of life skills courses or social studies curriculums."

But one principal was more guarded in his response. Taleb al Attas, the head of Al Ittihad Model School in Abu Dhabi, said his school's use of the game would depend on "curriculum policies of the authorities".

"We don't have enough information on which to make a decision about using it in our school yet," Mr al Attas said.

Some parents were less cautious.

"I'd be happy if it was taught in schools," said Nessrine Salah, the mother of two children, aged nine and 14, who lives in Dubai.

"I'd like my children to be aware of their rights and duties. That's fantastic as they don't have it in curriculums in any schools, whether international or public."

Ms Salah would use it, she said, "as long as it's got a gaming format and it can pique their interest instead of me having to teach it to them.

"It's refreshing as it's not instilled in our culture as Arabs, let alone in anything that they learn at school."

hhamid@thenational.ae