Sharjah Baby Friendly Office (SBFO), in collaboration with Sharjah Childhood Protection Network (SCPN), hosted a training workshop yesterday (Thursday) on the issue of violence against children. The session formed part of the office’s efforts to develop mechanisms that provide for the protection of young people and to explore ways to counter and eliminate the maltreatment of minors.
Held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sharjah, the workshop targetted child protection experts, staff of childcare institutions and teachers and officials in the education sector. It aimed to examine the root causes of the phenomenon of child abuse and violence, including its nature, impact on children’s mental states and its effect on the entire community.
Presented by Jordanian child protection expert Dr. Hani Jahshan, the workshop examined the patterns of child abuse and how to prevent it, through a series of interactive discussion sessions and practical examples from real-life cases.
Dr Hessa Khalfan Al Ghazal, Executive Director of SBFO, said: “This workshop has been organised as part of a comprehensive strategic plan being implemented by the emirate of Sharjah to meet the requirements of the Child Friendly City (CFC) title – part of the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative that aims to make a direct positive impact on children in the cities where they live.”
Al Ghazal added: “The workshop’s themes align perfectly with the vision of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and his wife, Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. Their longstanding vision is to create a healthy social, cultural and educational environment for children and youth in the emirate, which will enable them to develop their skills and talents in various domains.”
She also underlined SBFO’s keenness to unite their efforts and strategies with those of local child welfare organisations and other relevant institutions; a step that will allow Sharjah to approach welfare of minors in a more comprehensive and effective way.
Sheikha Bulhoul, Chairman of SCPN’s Board of Trustees said, “This workshop aims to provide greater protection for children. Our workshops contribute to the exchange of knowledge, improving skill sets of those who work with children and strengthens the connection between institutions in order to coordinate national efforts to combat all forms of child abuse.”
Aisha Abdullah bin Ali, SCPN’s Director said, “We know today that some children are born in to environments where they are regularly exposed to violence, neglect or some other form of abuse. The threat to children’s security and psychological health is not only restricted to their homes but they can be exposed to violence or abuse in other places. We devised this workshop to come up with a set of strategic guidelines that serve as a roadmap for those concerned with child protection because children’s safety is a national and humanitarian duty.”
For his part, Dr. Hassan Al Bilawi, Secretary-General of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development, said: “Our presence here today reflects our active cooperation with the Sharjah Baby Friendly Office and our partnership with the UNICEF.”
He added: “In the last workshop on ‘Professional Principles for Arab Media in Handling Child Rights Issues’, we spoke about media and children’s rights, and this one regarding violence against children, which too represents an unequivocal violation, is an important addition to the child rights discourse.”
Essam Ali, Social Policy Specialist at UNICEF Gulf Area Office, said “The workshop’s timing was significant as it coincided with International Children’s Day celebrated on November 20 of each year.”
Praising Sharjah’s efforts in establishing a child friendly environment, Ali commended the crucial role both the SCPN and SBFO are playing to build the capacity of child protection professionals. He also pointed out that UNICIFF seeks to implement a future plan with SCPN to promote awareness about the Wadeema Child Protection Law.