AUTHOR: David Bornstein
PUBLICATION NAME: The New York Times
PUBLISH DATE: November 22, 2010
SUMMARY: As we all know, many children become victims of child abuse in their own homes. The Pediatric Hospital of Tacubaya, located in Mexico, housed a 8 year old boy in the burn unit. He was burned everywhere with a clothing iron then was tied to a water heater in the basement by his aunt and uncle. Many therapists asked what had happened but the boy refused to answer. This is because in his mind, he is afraid if he says what had happened he would get in trouble and get hurt again. So a therapist decided to use Dulas.
Dulas is a cartoon created by Julia Borbolla, a Mexican psychologist. This cartoon was created to be an alien from another planet who knows nothing, hoping to get answers from the kids, the kids will eventually gain trust from this cartoon. The cartoon is controlled by doctors viewing the session and when spoken, the voice transform into a goofy voice for the cartoon. Eventually the young boy started to talk about his life. How his mother and father died and was left to be raised by his aunt and uncle.
After the first session with Dulas, when the boy was called to talk to the therapist he asked for Dulas. This method spread through out the country and a bit of the world in many hospitals. Naturally children have a fear of adults, especially if they've been abused by them and have trust issues. But with a kiddy cartoon always asking questions all kids know, they seem to put more trust in one who acts closer to their age and lacks knowledge of many things making the child feel superior and willing to tell the cartoon anything.
ARTICLE: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/a-safe-haven-in-cartoon-confidantes/?ref=psychology_and_psychologists
SUBMITTED BY: Shannen Quibuyen
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