As part of a training program, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) jointly launched an initiative to identify child abuse cases and the appropriate response process. The initiative targets teachers and 250 nursery supervisors across the UAE, and will be held at the Abu Dhabi Police Officers’ Club, with a view to raise awareness on child abuse identification mechanism and set up a system to report any violence against children at nurseries.
In his inaugural speech, Major General Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of HH Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior indicated that the ministry gives top priority to child protection. He asserted that it is a moral and social responsibility to activate the appropriate security, social and preventive measures to protect children against all kinds of abuse, given that children under the age of five cannot speak for themselves and report mistreatment, which calls for concerted efforts from all parties concerned with children rights protection.
Major al Nuaimi called on nursery supervisors to play their part to the fullest, in terms of identifying and reporting any signs of abuse against children, to whom they are very close. He pointed out that nursery supervisors are major partners in the prevention and protection processes, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Al Nuaimi also urged parents to protect their children from any kind of psychological and physical abuse. He underscored the importance of providing children with family care and emotional support, to produce a healthy society, free of social problems that could compromise its security and stability.
Major General Al Nuaimi confirmed that abused children could be storing up problems to society for the future. “This calls for concerted efforts to avoid such occurrences, by implementing all child protection agreements and conventions, and even remove children from their parents’ care, if all protection attempts fail.
He underscored the need to identify the causes of physical, sexual or emotional abuse against children at nurseries, and to set up the appropriate emotional response in order to integrate children back into society to pursue a normal life. “Early prevention and treatment positively impact the emotional state of abused children and their future,” he added.
Major General Al Nuaimi also pointed out that the “Wadeema’s Law” will provide the relevant entities with the authority to handle child abuse cases, thus reinforcing the Ministry of Interior’s role, which will include direct intervention in addition to protection and prevention. “Some individuals still ignore the basic components of a healthy family; not to mention the common misconceptions, that children are a means of entertainment,” he continued.
Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Mohammad Al Shammari, Director of the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centre, praised the role of nursery supervisors in identifying the first signs of abuse. He noted that children spend more time at the nurseries than they do with their families. This requires furthering cooperation with nursery supervisors, given that child protection requires concerted efforts from all relevant entities.
Al Shammari expressed his bitter regret to see some conservative communities still covering up cases of sexual abuse against children. He added: “There are still untold abuse cases against children, despite the tireless calls from relevant authorities on the need to identify and report such crimes to avoid their recurrence and protect children, as is the case in developed countries, which made giant strides in this field.”
For his part, Jonathan McAuley, Strategic Advisor and Social Counselor, the Child Protection Center at the Ministry of Interior, emphasized that the ministry gives top priority to child protection. He indicated that abuse is not only physical; noting that other types of abuse include the risks caused by reckless driving, parents’ negligence, sending children in elevators unaccompanied, and failure to secure balconies which may cause children to fall to their death, among other things. McAuley stressed the need to boost preventive measures and efforts to ensure child protection.
Moza Salem Al Shoomi, Director of the Child Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and member of the Ministry of Interior’s Higher Committee for Child Protection, praised the cooperation and mutual organization with the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Center to carry out the initiative. She said: “This initiative is part of the strategic partnership with the Ministry of Interior, and is a vehicle to achieve the Ministry of Social Affairs’ goal to guarantee social rights and empower social integration.”
Concluding, she stressed the importance of the initiative to raise awareness among nursery supervisors and qualify them to identify cases of abuse, notice any behavioral change and avoid problems in a timely manner.
For more information about:
The Ministry of Interior, please click HERE
Abu Dhabi Police, please click HERE
Follow us and check our Social Media feeds on: YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
Photo Caption:
Photo1: Major General Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi
Photo2: During the meeting
The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.
Contacts
The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department
Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media
Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317
E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment