UAE | Emergencies

Three-year-old falls to death from living room window in Abu Dhabi

Emergency unit finds girl dead on the pavement in Abu Dhabi

  • By Iman Sherif, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 February 2, 2012
  • Gulf News

Children on a balcony of a flat in a high-rise building in Al Nahda area of Sharjah
  • Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
  • Leaving children unattended endangers their life. Image for illustrative purpose only.

Abu Dhabi: A three-year-old girl plunged to her death on Wednesday from a fifth floor apartment at Airport Road in Abu Dhabi.

Four weeks ago, the same girl was rescued by a policeman who noticed her leaning out of a window at her home in the capital, a police spokesman said on Wenesday.

Read earlier incident report: Alert Abu Dhabi policeman to toddler's rescue

"The child, an Arab national, was saved by the grace of Allah and the instincts of a brave and alert policeman on January 5. The policeman saw the girl hanging out from the window of the kitchen in her residence when her parents were away at work," the spokesman said.

He said officers broke down the apartment door to save the girl who was dangling her legs out of the window. She had been left alone at the house.

"Yesterday, an emergency unit was deployed to the site of the accident immediately upon receiving the report, only to discover the girl dead on the pavement," said Lt Colonel Faisal Al Shamari, director of the Child Protection Centre in the Ministry of Interior.

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‘Endangering lives'

"The three-year-old child fell out of the living room window of her apartment. Her parents were out and kept her with her aunt who was sleeping at the time of the accident," Lt Col Al Shamari said. "This is the second incident with the same child which proves that children don't give up and don't realise the consequences of what they are doing, therefore close and constant monitoring is a must.

"We understand the financial commitments parents have and the necessity to work, however they should first focus on their children and their safety," Al Shamari told Gulf News.

"The Ministry of Interior is currently working closely with several authorities at multiple levels to ensure the safety of children," he added.

"Leaving children unattended endangers their live. Some children are hyperactive and are curious to explore and discover. Those require even more attention," said Al Shamari.

Parents, he said, should take all necessary precautions and should never allow children to reach windows or balconies unsupervised. "When the parents fail to provide this level of safety, the consequences can be devastating," he said.

Eliminating accidents

"The loss of a child and the frequency with which these accidents happen is an indescribable tragedy," said Major General Nasser Al Nuaimi, Secretary General for Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of Interior, and President of the child protection division. "The Abu Dhabi police are keen to eliminate these accidents by focusing primarily on making guardians aware of the risks of leaving windows and balcony doors open," he added.

Make your home safe

The Ministry of Interior has identified five primary categories which can help prevent these accidents:

  • Constant supervision, especially when children approach windows. Screens are meant to keep insects out, and are not a safety guard for children. A child can push a screen out when he or she leans on it.
  • Ensure that all windows are locked when not in use. Small children can slide through the openings.
  • Installation of safety bars on windows can keep children from falling out. The distance between bars should be tight enough to prevent a child from fitting through. However, they must be removable in case of fire.
  • The distance between window bars should not exceed four inches. It must be of sufficient strength to withstand a child pushing against it.
  • Ensure that all furniture and large toys are kept away from windows; a child can climb on top of them to reach the window.
  • Balconies should also be secured to ensure children cannot gain access to them. This includes locks on balcony doors, keeping keys out of the reach of all children, and protection bars low enough and close enough to ensure children cannot slip between or under them.

TIMELINE

  • January 30, 2011: A 13-year-old Indian girl plunges to her death from an 11th floor apartment on Al Falah Street in Abu Dhabi.
  • September 27, 2011: A five-year-old boy and his mother die after separately falling off the balcony of their flat in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai.
  • November 29, 2011: A four-year-old Emirati boy falls over the balcony from the 16th floor of the Al Sondos building in Sharjah.
  • November 24, 2011: A three-year-old boy falls to his death from the window of the 14th floor of Al Yarmouk tower, near the Sahara Centre, Sharjah.
  • November 19, 2011: A four-year-old girl dies after falling from the window of a 15th floor apartment building in Al Qassimia, Sharjah.
  • December 4, 2011: A three-year-old Syrian boy dies after falling out of the window of a 14th floor apartment on Jamal Abdul Nasser Street, Sharjah.

Comments (12)

  1. Added 17:33 February 2, 2012

    Takeing care of child is more important than work. for who you earn the money for. so be alert to take care of child first with your care, not by any other...

    Anonymous, dubai, United Arab Emirates

  2. Added 14:56 February 2, 2012

    This is scary news. Reminds me of the movie 'Final Destination'

    Pulipra Aneesh, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

  3. Added 14:49 February 2, 2012

    Excuse me, but as soon as you bring a child into this world, it becomes YOUR responsibility to look after your child! What's this nonsense of landlords needing to safeguard windows and not allow women to work, etc, etc - it still comes down to YOU as parents to be responsible. How can you leave a child alone in the first place???? It is YOUR job, dear parent, to safeguard the window, to choose the right caregiver, to be responsible!!!

    Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  4. Added 13:21 February 2, 2012

    Children should be taught of independence in some aspects but young aged should not be left alone in the house. This is a matter of responsible parenting. Also, it would be good if the authorities look into the possibility of passing a federal law enforcing parents to look after safety of the children and for flat landlords to regularly check the safety of the tenants....they should install high bars in the balconies to flats being rented to families with small children; otherwise those should not be rented out to families with small children.

    Anonymous, dubai, United Arab Emirates

  5. Added 12:26 February 2, 2012

    Tragedy that happened is happened and my hearty condolences to the family. However, we all take care of our children and do our best to ensure their safety. But the fact remains, that ever second and minute cannot be monitored, which has to be taken care of. I have a son of three and half who is taken care of by my mum all the time. We have windows instead of balcony. To ensure safety I have asked one grill supplier to install one for me and the next day it was published in Gulf News dated 22nd January 2012, “Tenants must get civic approval for grilles”. Instead of making things easier, it has become complicated at the moment. As part of Building Owners they don’t really appreciate installing something new and reverted that once we vacate it will be charged for bring it to actual. As of now, I have no idea how the civic approval procedures are gonna be.

    Chris, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

  6. Added 11:49 February 2, 2012

    Authorities should relax certian rules for working mothers. All have responsibility towards their family and children. Those mothers working in the government institute get to go home by 3pm. But the parents in private sector reach home late. The authorities should run institution to keep children near the working area. so that they can be sure that their child is still alive after they come back from work also.

    Roshni, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  7. Added 11:08 February 2, 2012

    This is a very devastating, heart breaking news. My heart goes to the little girl.

    Margie, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

  8. Added 10:29 February 2, 2012

    This is with reference to Mr Shakeel;s comment. "the father shouldn't allow a woman to work" I'd just like to say that no parent would stay away from his/her child willingly. I understand if you support the practice of a parent staying back home to look after the children, but it should be a mutual decision, not something that is forced upon any parent - whether father or mother. The only solution to all these deaths is by going back to basics. build a strong family tie with every member, spend time with them, respect your spouse and try to understand that no matter how hard you try to earn money for your family, it can never substitute for your presence in their lives.

    Amina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  9. Added 10:03 February 2, 2012

    I find it really absurd of reading children falling off balconies. What can be done to stop this and why is it happening every now and then? Previously we had many families living in flats, rarely we came across such news! May Allah bless the souls of the children who died so tragically and May Allah give Patience to the parents who suffered their loss. Are balconies built in such a way that its too risky for small children? I request the authorities to find a solution to this bitterly tragic problem.Try to send some rescue team to cover the balconies of families who have children with a net or anything. This may Help in the young kids to fall off in the future.

    ASNA, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

  10. Added 09:56 February 2, 2012

    1- It is Employer's responsibility to make sure employee is not risking his/her children for coming to work. 2- It is extremely important for the landlord to ensure all the windows have safety bars installed if he is renting apartment to a family with children. 3- It is Father's responsibility to protect his children and should not allow his wife to work until child is above 6 years of age

    shakil, toronto, Canada

    11. View more comments

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