The creators of an interactive board game aimed at teaching children about gender-based violence hope it will help reduce rape and other forms of abuse. LifeBoard allows pupils to talk about sexual abuse in the context of a game .Each team chooses a leader who speaks on its behalf. The leader rolls a die, which determines to where on the board the team's icon is moved. The icon lands on a colour corresponding to a category from which the team must pick a card.The team then discusses the issue suggested by the card. At the end of each round the team judged to have best dealt with its issue is awarded a token, and the team with the most tokens at the end of the game wins.NGO Tears Foundation piloted the game at 400 schools, reaching more than 4000 high school pupils, and training 20 leaders.Kalliste Kuhn, the organisation's senior facilitator, said two facilitators were present at each gaming session - one to lead the game, the other to help the children.About 30 people, including teachers and community leaders, have been trained as facilitators.Tears will train education officials in Gauteng next month so they can introduce the game to school principals.The game, which can be played by up to 45 children divided into three teams, has enabled about 10 children to disclose their own experiences of abuse.A police officer from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, and a trauma counsellor, are present at every session for children who disclose experiences of abuse.Although the education department has endorsed the game, children's rights activists have raised concerns about how the children deal with the effects of the game and the people who assess them.Shaheda Omar, of the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children, said it was essential that facilitators were checked against the National Register for Sex Offenders and that counsellors were qualified to counsel children who reacted negatively to the game.Joan van Niekerk, president of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse, said although "the game is a good initiative, and it is critically important that children disclose and report abuse, the disclosure has to take place in a private, safe space"...