UAE committed to protecting children’s rights: Official
Allocating a specific day for celebrating the Emirati child reflects the atention of the leadership to childhood
Dr. Khawla Al Mulla, Secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, SCFA, has highlighted the UAE’S commitment to implementing child rights, and its distinguished record in the childcare field locally, regionally, and globally.
On the occasion of World Children’s Day (20th November), Al Mulla said, “On this day, we celebrate the leadership of the UAE and its commitment to implementing child rights, as well as its distinguished record in the childcare field locally, regionally, and globally, placing it at the forefront of world countries in providing decent life to children and maintaining their rights.
She pointed out that allocating a specific day for celebrating the Emirati child, which is observed on 15th March each year, reflects the atention of the leadership for childhood and their relentless efforts to preserve children’s rights and their psychological, social, and educational needs.
Al Mulla stated, “The Emirate of Sharjah attaches special importance to children’s rights and the provision of a safe environment to them, in accordance with the teachings of Islam and the Emirati customs and traditions, and the international conventions signed by the UAE since it was founded, thus reaching the highest levels according to the internationally recognised indicators.
“The cultural and developmental vision of sh arj ah is based on advancing the new generations from the children and adolescents, guided by the words of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, “The child is the human being of the future and from him begins the industry’s most valuable capital.”
Al Mulla concluded her speech saying that the visions of the Ruler of Sharjah, and the directives of his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, who is also Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, remain a catalyst for promoting children.
Dr. Hessa Khalfan Al Ghazal, Executive Director of Sharjah Baby-friendly Office, shed light on the projects and initiatives carried out by the Office, including the Sharjah Child-friendly City Project, which aims to encourage and promote the culture of breasfeeding in the emirate. The project has succeeded in increasing the rates of breasfeeding in the first six months of a child’s life in the Emirate of Sharjah from 18 percent in 2012 to 60 percent in 2019.
Sharjah has also been named the world’s first child-friendly city by the United Nations Children’s Fund, Unicef, and the World Health Organisation, following the successful implementation of four community-based initiatives to promote breastfeeding that targeted health facilities, public places, nurseries, and workplaces. In the same context, Sharjah won the “CFCI Inspire Awards” award for the “Sharjah Child-friendly” project, on the sidelines of Unicef’s first global Child-friendly Cities Summit in 2019.
Dr. Hessa added, “The Sharjah Baby-friendly Office has further expanded its scope of work to include children of all ages (0 – 18). In 2016, the Office launched the Sharjah Child and Adolescent Friendly Project, through which the emirate was able to join the Unicef’s Child-friendly Cities Initiative, CFCI, contributing to the promotion of children’s rights on a wider scale in the emirate.
Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei, Child Safety Department Director, said, “The department is commited to launching several initiatives to raise societal awareness about the child’s psychological and physical safety, including the ‘Responsible Media Safe Child’ initiative and two surveys on the child cyber safety and the use of child car seats, in addition to the Department’s efforts in bullying awareness and prevention.”
She added ,“in 2019, the child safety department launched ‘Cyber Safety Ambassadors’ initiative, the first-of-its-kind initiative which is based on the peer education approach; 24 out of 80 children and adolescents were chosen as ambassadors, where they underwent training on cyber safety and best practices online so that they, in turn, can train their peers on Internet safety.”
Recently, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, SCFA, has revealed that the objectives of its next five-year strategic plan focus on combining the efforts of its departments and institutions and developing work coordination methods and public policies to further support and strengthen the family and to empower its members to effectively play their communal roles.