The law issued by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to ensure the protection of unknown and abandoned children and provide them with foster care is in perfect resonance with his humanitarian spirit and the UAE’s sensitivity in dealing with such matters.
The number of cases relating to abandoned children is steadily increasing — approximately 48 cases annually — and this new law protects their rights, civil liberties and overall wellbeing. The fact that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Interior will be monitoring the processes — including providing care to the children and marking out the necessary criteria and processes by which foster families will be chosen — underlines the seriousness of the action.
Foster families will also be held accountable by signing undertakings that will ensure proper treatment and protection of the children. This will in turn ensure that there is an element of collective responsibility and accountability for those who wish to come forward and assist.
For the children, counselling and proper support systems will ensure that their overall growth and wellbeing are assured so that they can go on to make a positive contribution to society.
