The Ministry of Interior showcased its experience in Child Protection during a scientific seminar on Information Security held recently, on the sidelines of the GITEX Technology Week 2012 that concluded its 32nd session last Thursday.
The worksheet presented by Lt. Colonel Faisal Muhammed Al Shammari, Director of the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Center and Dr. Jonathan McAuley, Strategic Expert at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, shed light on the UAE efforts in the field of child protection, and procedures followed by the Higher Committee for Child Protection in the Ministry through cooperation and partnerships with the various concerned authorities in the UAE.
Al Shammari stressed the importance of ongoing reviewing and developing legislations and laws as per the latest international standards, as providing protection to our children and their families, in addition to providing family and community prevention and awareness enablers are vital elements to develop our societies.
He said that the Child Protection Center at the Ministry sets general policies and strategic plans to protect children. It also supervises and follows up the process of investigating crimes related to children, and the implementation of laws related to crimes against children, in coordination with concerned and competent authorities. Moreover, the Center is keen to implement these laws through the dimensions identified in 16 main points.
He explained that the UAE will host in December in Abu Dhabi, the fifth conference of the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) held under the theme: “International collaboration: an enabler for prevention” which will discuss the risks and mechanisms of internet abuse, review stories of victims to motivate prevention; shedding light on risks related to child abuse; the importance of setting protocols that contribute to review visual evidences, and the importance of behavioral analysis in child sexual abuse investigations.
For his part, Dr. Jonathan McAuley explained the perspectives of child protection, i.e. the global perspective, the UAE national perspective, the Ministry of interior’s perspective, and the Child Protection Center’s perspective. He noted that the UN has issued in 1980 the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child covering a wide range of issues related to children and their rights. The convention also forces signatory states to contribute to the protection of children and promote their rights.
He added: “the UAE has made great efforts to address the issue of child protection and child abuse, and ratified the Convention. The UAE is the first country in the Middle East and Asia to get full membership in VGT.” He also noted the procedures made by the UAE and its Ministry of Interior to join the VGT and host its upcoming conference in Abu Dhabi.
He pointed out that the Higher Committee for Child Protection at the Ministry of Interior has dealt with issues related to child protection through 16 main points, including investigating sexual allegations and suspicions related to children; developing laws aimed at protecting children; addressing risk issues faced by children at homes such as the negative behavior of parents which is a serious issue of safety; and protecting children in buildings and during transportation.
Examples were given on cases of child deaths or serious injuries due to the parents’ failure in securing vehicles properly; child protection in natural disasters and emergencies; child protection from sexual and physical abuses in the society and within the family; child protection from child labor; as well as increasing the level of awareness on risks that children face, and enable them to take the required s