ALIT Bali’s Human-Centred Approach to Self-Protection Education for Early Childhood
Child protection is a fundamental foundation for ensuring children’s optimal and safe development. Recognising its importance, Yayasan ALIT Indonesia has integrated PERLINA (Self-Protection) classes for young children into its Early Child Development (ECD) program. Unlike children in the Merdeka Belajar classes (aged 8–12), who are already able to engage in more in-depth discussions, PERLINA sessions are designed around young children’s world through play, storytelling, and creative activities. Therefore, storytelling and role-play serve as the program’s primary learning methods.
The main objective of PERLINA classes for young children is to foster a basic understanding that their bodies belong to them. Through warm and supportive interactions, children are encouraged to recognise bodily boundaries, distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate touch, and develop the confidence to refuse treatment that makes them feel unsafe.
In the ALIT Bali region, facilitators choose narratives that reflect children’s everyday experiences, featuring child characters and simple storylines in short films and storybooks. Meanwhile, role-play sessions are designed to feel like ordinary play rather than formal theoretical lessons. Children are invited to simulate situations in which someone does something that makes them uncomfortable, then practise immediate responses such as confidently saying “no,” moving away from the situation, and seeking help from a trusted adult.
“We avoid using frightening approaches and instead rely more on stories, games, pictures, short films, and role-play. We keep the messages simple. For example, if someone makes me feel uncomfortable, I can say no and tell an adult I trust. This way, children learn to protect themselves without feeling that everything around them is dangerous,” explained Eldo Da Cunha, Regional Coordinator of ALIT Bali.
These values are introduced carefully to help children understand that they have both the right and the ability to protect themselves. “We usually use sock puppets during storytelling to make the sessions more engaging and easier for young children to understand,” Eldo added.
This approach is also adapted to Bali’s local context. Facilitators use flexible, everyday language that is easy for children and their families to understand, while continuing to use Indonesian. Local wisdom, including values of mutual appreciation and respect for others, is also incorporated to make self-protection education feel familiar and relevant to the environment in which children grow and develop.
The interactive methods have received positive responses from participating children. Dynamic activities encourage them to express themselves more actively and demonstrate the self-protection steps modelled by facilitators. Nevertheless, field facilitators continue to face challenges, particularly when engaging children who are shy or have different levels of understanding. Facilitators must therefore carefully choose their words and expressions to ensure that the messages are communicated appropriately—not too complex, which could cause fear, but not so simplified that the meaning is lost.
Effective child protection education does not end in the classroom. Through home visits, ALIT Bali engages parents in fostering open communication within their families. Parents are encouraged to become good listeners, respect their children’s feelings, and create a safe space where children can share their experiences without anxiety or fear.
The changes resulting from PERLINA classes take time, but their impact is gradually becoming visible as children develop greater confidence in understanding their right to personal safety. Moving forward, ALIT Bali is committed to making PERLINA values part of its regular child mentoring activities, whether through ECD sessions, informal discussions, or interactions with parents. In this way, self-protection awareness can become an enduring part of children’s everyday lives.
