VIGILANCE CALL AFTER ARREST OF DUBAI TEACHER ON US ABUSE CHARGES
▶ William Ball suspected of soliciting minor on trip to Florida but no accusations have come to light in UAE
Charges in the US against a teacher from a Dubai school on suspicion of soliciting a minor have highlighted a lack of knowledge among parents and children on the dangers of online grooming.
American William Ball has been suspended from his post at the Swiss International Scientific School in Al Jaddaf after his arrest last week on a trip home.
Mr Ball is accused of soliciting for sex and child pornography. He had no previous convictions relating to the charges and no accusations have come to light in the UAE.
But the arrest led experts to urge all schools to ensure they are carrying out thorough background checks on staff, and to ensure that parents and children understand the risks.
Natasha Ridge, an education consultant, said schools had a responsibility to check the backgrounds of new staff, beyond the required police checks, before letting them work with children.
“While schools need to fill their teaching positions, they should be looking out for certain red flags in the employment history, such as very short stints in other countries or other schools,” said Mrs Ridge, who is an executive director at the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research.
“A police check is required but if people move around a lot and move on quickly, it can be difficult to complete detailed appropriate checks.
“Schools need to do their due diligence but that is often just done for the previous job. If that was for less than two years and there were no reported incidents, historical behaviour can be hard to identify.”
Mrs Ridge also called for a hotline through which teachers and students can report suspicious behaviour of other teachers.
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority said school protocols were strict and reassured parents that the protection of children was of “paramount importance”. It said child safety was a core tenet of the teacher licensing programme.
“Ensuring that children are protected is more than a onetime requirement for teachers in Dubai,” said Dr Naji Al Mahdi, chief of qualifications at the authority.
“It is an ongoing requirement for teachers to maintain exemplary records with respect to child protection throughout their careers in Dubai.
“Evidence of an exemplary record of child protection must be provided prior to each renewal of the teaching licence and before a teacher is employed in a new position at a different school.”
Teachers applying for jobs in the UAE must submit documents such as the International Child Protection Certificate in the UK or the Report of Enhanced Criminal Record Certificate from the US.
Teachers from countries that do not issue official certificates must provide alternative evidence of unblemished records on child protection.
This evidence must be submitted by principals and police from countries in which the teacher has recently worked.
To achieve a licence, all teachers must take an approved course in child protection that covers understanding of child protection issues and the need to report concerns about child abuse by others, including colleagues, parents or pupils.
Teachers are assessed at the end of the course and only those who pass are licensed to teach in Dubai schools.
Dr Rajeshree Singhania, a paediatrician in Dubai who has dealt with cases of molestation, said Mr Ball’s case offered an opportunity to bring attention to the issue and encourage education on how to spot the warning signs of abuse and grooming.
“Schools must have designated counsellors who the children can approach and parents should also watch out for tell-tale signs,” Dr Singhania said.
“There are many indications, like if the child refuses to go to school. There may be bed-wetting or the child could exhibit overtly sexual behaviour that is odd for that age.
“The child may develop sleep and eating problems and cry unnecessarily. These are new behaviours to look out for.”
Dr Singhania said pupils should not fear their teachers and education workshops should be held in the schools.
“This is part of educating children on how to protect themselves, especially from sexual molestation and abuse,” she said. “Most molestations are by people known to the child. It could be a teacher, an uncle or a family friend they look up to.”
Mr Ball, from Mississippi, was arrested by police shortly after arriving in Florida after allegedly setting up a meeting with a child for sex.
It is claimed that he paid US$5,000 (Dh18,365) to meet the seven-year-old and bought a ticket to fly from Dubai to America.
Swiss International School in Dubai has written to parents, reassuring them that Mr Ball was recruited through a reputable agency and that stringent background checks were made.
The school said it carried out its own verification and obtained police clearance for him valid from 2011 until the start of his employment at the school last year.
New guidelines on visa applications were introduced this month to add further checks on those coming to work in the country.
Since February 4, the government has required those moving to the UAE to produce a good conduct and behaviour certificate or police clearance letter.
The term varies between countries but it must prove workers have never committed a criminal offence.
Reem Shaheen, a counselling psychologist at the Clear Minds Centre in Dubai, said that when such cases came to light, it should be an opportunity to raise awareness.
“When something happens in a vulnerable population like children, everyone will look at themselves to take some responsibility,” Ms Shaheen said.