Coinciding with the celebration of the Universal Children's Day on Tuesday, November 20, the Law Respect Culture Bureau in the General Secretariat of the Office of H.H. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, called on parents and caregivers to instill and empower the law respect culture in youths to protect their minds from aberrance that leads to an imbalance in values.
Lt. Colonel Dr. Salah Obeid Al Ghoul, Director of the Law Respect Culture Bureau, said: “The parents’ duty is not limited to providing for physical needs such as food, drink, and clothing; psychological and mental health is equally important.”
Al Ghoul explained that the child protection concept is not limited to physical protection, but goes beyond that to include psychological protection, which is achieved based on the type and nature of value and moral principles that caregivers ingrain in their children, whether in direct or indirect ways.
He stressed that the values and principles set up by the parents in the house, whether related to how they treat their children and their maids, forms the child’s primary model of social engagement that he is asked to respect by the social authority.
“If there is a clear guiding principle in the house that is exercised on all family members in a just and transparent manner, where those who follow the rules are praised and those who break them get punished within educational limits and criteria, then it is easier for children to integrate in their society. This social integration starts from school and ends up in the work place where following rules and regulations set up by society institutions is a healthy part of life,” Al Ghoul said.
“When children understand from the beginning that using violence, exploiting other people’s properties, or verbally insulting them is forbidden within the house, they will easily understand the idea of incrimination of physical and verbal (insults and curses) abuse and vandalizing private and public properties. They will not find it difficult to understand the sense of incrimination, thus avoiding breaking the law,” he added.
Al Ghoul highlighted that the role entitled to fathers and mothers to impart moral messages in their children will not become ingrained by what the father or mother says, but through the parents’ actions and daily practices that live up to their moral messages. “The father cannot compel the child to put on his/her seat belt unless he himself does it; this is also applies to all other laws and regulations. The father cannot show off his reckless driving or racing skills and then expect his child, who is accompanying him in the vehicle, to become a law-obedient person by not putting himself or others in danger,” he said.
He also stressed that the law punishes parents for ignoring their children, stating that the real psychological punishment for parents is when their children reach a criminal level and break laws due to neglect by their caretaker who failed to fulfill his/her essential role to protect their children on a psychological level. This kind of protection can only be achieved by ingraining values and morals of which the law abiding concept represents an essential pillar.
“The child protection concept should not be summarized into one day that is dedicated to child protection and celebration; rather the investment in children should be a strategic trend as it represents an investment in the future of the people,” he said.
Al Ghoul hailed the Child Protection Law (Wadeema’s Law) recently passed by the federal cabinet, which guarantees for all children, without any discrimination, the right to live a safe life in a stable environ
