Schools take a tough stance
dubai — Dubai schools take sexual abuse and stranger danger very seriously, yet, sex education is still not a mandate in schools. Several schools have robust mechanisms in place to educate pupils on the dangers of soliciting with strangers or becoming victims of abuse. From tight security to awareness campaigns, schools have mechanisms in place to prevent issues. However, here are some of the measures undertaken by leading schools in the UAE.
Dr Ashok Kumar, CEO of Indian High School, said: “Preventing sexual abuse is always our priority concern. It is a responsibility that we carry with utmost circumspection.
“We, at Indian High School (IHS), provide age-appropriate sex education to all our students. At all levels, we educate students on reinforcing boundaries and reflexes in an abuse situation. Our counsellors carry out special sessions that edifies them about ‘Good and Bad touch’, ‘a Bad Secret and a Good Secret’, ‘No! Go! Tell!’ strategy, etc.”
He also stated that the school has excellent security systems that monitor students, staff and visitors at all time. “We have special policies that ensure mandatory background checks are being carried out for all job applicants and volunteers,” said Dr Kumar.
Furthermore, to avoid cybercrime against students and staff at the school, the IT department focusses surveillance and access control on all the computers and Internet devices.
“We also organise seminars where students are taught how to avoid and evade situations of cyber abuse.
“The school has more than 6,000 staff and students to look after every day. The security staff is competent as well as equipped to assess and administer a crisis situation,” he explained.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson at the Taaleem Group of Schools stated: “Child safety is our number one priority. All Taaleem schools follow the comprehensive UAE regulations on teacher and staff employed in schools.
“We also conduct rigorous background checks on our employees and confidential references and police checks are always a prerequisite of employment for any Taaleem staff,” the spokesperson added.
The school’s child protection policies and their implementation are checked annually by the UAE’s regulatory authorities. Furthermore, Taaleem schools are also held to the highest of standards of child protection policies and procedures by international accrediting bodies such as the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
In an earlier statement to Khaleej Times, Mohammed Darwish, chief of regulations and permits commission at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said: “We take child protection very seriously, and we continue to work with schools to safeguard students’ safety and wellbeing at all times. Every school is required to have a dedicated child protection policy in place and this reflects our commitment to ensuring the welfare, health and safety of students.”