Each hand-sewn anatomically detailed doll is unique and features all ten fingers and ten toes as well as various identifying features which may be required to point to a perpetrator. Each doll also features sexual organs, as well as holes for the mouth and anus – similar to a classic anatomy doll typically used in the studies of anatomy and physiology. However, in this case, these dolls are used to help reduce, or find closure for, sexual assaults on children.

    So many creative solutions are found when problems arise. One day an investigating officer posted on her social media platform a problem she found when communicating with young victims of sexual assault. This led Assistant Professor Dr. Alicha Treerotchananon of the Faculty of Mass Communications and independent artist Sudsiri Pui-ock to begin work on creating these dolls to be used as investigative tools.

    “The first time we made one of these dolls it was following the post by Police Colonel Jareewan Puttanuruk who had posted on Facebook of her many challenges when interviewing a young victim of sexual assault. She wrote of the challenges she faced when drawing information from young children about sexual assault. Names for sexual organs different from household to household, and importantly children this age didn’t understand how to express themselves through examples very well. Some victims are from tribal villagers, adding language challenges to the mix. It was important for those working with children to draw as much information to be used to prosecute a case as possible, without harming the children’s mental and emotional wellbeing,” explained Assistant Professor Dr. Alicha.

      The alternative method found was therefore the Magic Doll which could help to find the truth when it came to trial and allow children to communicate in non-traumatic ways by sewing life-like genitals onto the dolls. Volunteers were invited to help sew the dolls which are today used to help not only young children, but the mentally impaired, to communicate about crimes committed on their persons, offering clarity in court as to what actually occurred.

     “We must give credit to the designer of the dolls, Sudsiri Pui-ock, an alum from the Faculty of Fine Arts, who used creativity to solve the problem and offered us opportunities to expand our communication to help children who are victims of sexual assault.”

     These are not complex nor sophisticated dolls, simply because they needed to be used to communicate trauma as clearly and precisely as possible. They were designed not to look too real as to cause trauma by recalling memories (unlike silicon designs previously used), and the doll-like features help to alleviate stress; hence the features are never too stern nor too happy as to influence emotions. Colourful clothes and hair invites children to play and to feel comfortable in potentially stressful environments.

      In many cases, volunteers are asked to design the dolls to fit the specifics of a crime, adding the appropriate body weight, clothes or hair colour as needed in each case.

      “Our first dolls were sewn by a group of students which we then expanded to volunteers,” added Assistant Professor Dr. Alicha who went on to say that the first dolls had no fingers. “The feedback from investigators, however, was that fingers were required to help prove cases in the court of law. According to Thai law, any penetration by an anatomy or foreign object into another person for the purpose of sexual gratification is interpreted as rape. Investigating officers have their methods of revealing the truth and our job is to give them the tools to be able to do so effectively. We don’t need to know any of the details of the crime or what our dolls are used for, only that they are able to be used when they need to be used to help convict a criminal, at the same time reducing the pain as much as possible for the victim.”

      “Sometimes we are asked to add more grey hair, or a bigger belly, or make the doll look more mature in age, so instead of just making one boy or one girl doll, we will do at least three of the perpetrator, which is almost always a man, and a boy or a girl.”