New campaign to raise awareness about child abuse

Dubai: The Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC) has launched its eighth annual campaign to raise awareness about violence against children, comprising posters and social media images using the hashtag #MakeItStop.

The campaign, called ‘Protect My Childhood, It’s Precious’, will be held at Enoc petrol pumps, malls, cinemas and other places, in addition to running on social media platforms, throughout April.

April is the international month for child abuse prevention.

The campaign will address the five main kinds of abuse — physical, verbal, neglect, health and sexual.

Afra Al Basti, director-general of DFWAC, said that the foundation has helped more than 500 victims of child abuse since its establishment in 2007.

She stressed on the importance of concerted efforts of various entities and individuals in the UAE to strengthen measures to protect children from violence and raise awareness of their rights, warning of the serious impact on the future of children who are subjected to violence without access to the rehabilitation programmes.

Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO of Enoc, said: “We are honoured to be supporting [DFWAC], which aims to raise awareness against domestic violence and the importance of protecting children’s wellbeing. At Enoc, we are committed to support social causes that impact the well-being of our communities. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to [DFWAC] for providing us with an opportunity to play a role in supporting a campaign to ensure the safety and well-being of our future generations.”

Maryam Bin Thaneya, communications director at DFWAC, said that this year’s campaign focuses on educating adults about child abuse through awareness videos that will deliver the message easily to different groups in Arabic and English.

“The campaign’s digital visuals, along with its awareness messages, seek to raise awareness among the community and encourage people to use the 800111 helpline to report any cases of child abuse, or seek counselling,” Bin Thaneya said.

She pointed out that this year’s campaign is keen to convey the message strongly because of the importance and sensitivity of the issue of child abuse, especially after the enactment of the UAE Children’s Rights Law.

She added that the campaign aims to reach various parts of the country through the presentation of many lectures and educational activities for children and adults at the Community Development Centre in Ajman from April 10 to 12, and the Centre for Community Development in Fujairah from April 18 to 20.

Lafi Abood, director-photographer at Analog Production, said: “The widespread conscious effort to protect children should be applauded, but even so, I believe more can, and should be, done to contribute to existing efforts.”