Abu Dhabi: An Abu Dhabi policeman saved a child from falling out of a fifth floor apartment in a building on Airport Road, an official said.
"The policeman saw a child sitting on the window sill of a fifth floor apartment with her legs hanging out. He immediately called the operation room and went up to the apartment. No one answered the door bell. So the police broke the door down and rushed inside to save the three-year-old girl who was left alone in the apartment. Not able to leave her alone, the police took the child to the police station to take care of her," said brigadier Maktoum Al Sharifi, director of the Capital Police Directorate.
Both parents had gone to work leaving their daughter alone. The police contacted the parents to inform them of the incident and called them for investigations.
"The parents said that their daughter was sleeping when they both left to work. They confirmed they left the kitchen window open," added Al Sharifi.
Both parents must face the public prosecution.
Following five recent incidents of children falling out of high-rise buildings, Gulf News launched a two-week safety campaign, providing parents and guardians with simple recommendations to ensure the safety of children at home. Surprisingly, despite concerted awareness drives launched by numerous institutions to foster awareness among parents and to reinforce the importance of keeping an eye on their children, such incidents still occur. Thankfully, the latest one had a happy ending.
Statistics
According to a study by Dr Michal Grivna, associate professor at the Department of Community Medicine in UAE University, ten per cent of all child mortality reported by the Ministry of Health during 2000-2006 were due to falls.
Colonel Faisal Mohammad Al Shimmari, director of the Ministry of Interior's Child Protection Centre, said that brochures in several languages including Arabic, English and Urdu have been prepared and distributed to foster awareness among residents regarding children's safety and preventive measures that families can take to protect children and prevent such incidents.
Inattentiveness, negligence to blame in most cases
Abu Dhabi: Psychologists and members of the community seem to agree that inattention and negligence are primary causes of child tragedies.
Dr Tharaka Kumar, psychologist at Al Ahlia Hospital, told Gulf News: "These accidents are attributed to parents' ignorance, negligence and inattentiveness. Children below the age of ten should never be left unattended. If the child has a medical or behavioural problem like hyperactivity for example, then the parents should consult a physician to know or learn how to deal with their children and take the necessary precautionary measures. Actually these children need more attention."
Nadia Nour, a Palestinian who has a two-year-old baby, said: "Some people behave in a condescending way, others lack common sense, and I am not sure this could be taught. When parents commit to having a child they should take precautions to protect him [or her]."
She added: "I believe safety standards should be put in place — for instance lots of buildings have opened pools without security. There also should be continuous awareness campaigns, I am sure if we educate people, they will be more protective and attentive about their children."
Sherifa Sehweil, a mother of three, sai: "We see negligence every day in multiple forms. Every day I see children walking in the streets unwatched while housekeepers are busy on the phone. This is negligence?"
