Act now
Child Abuse is a major problem all over the world and has reared its ugly head in the UAE, too (‘Child-abuse awareness campaign held in Dubai,’ Gulf News, April 27). It needs to be defined, tackled and dealt with as soon as possible and spreading awareness is the first step. I feel that most cases of child abuse occur at home and that parents are not even aware of this or ignore the signs. They should be educated on what to look out for, as they often ignore the dangers around them and leave their children unprotected and unsupervised. I often see young children walking alone as they run errands or head for tuition. Even in the malls children can often be seen all alone. It does not take long for an incident to occur and then it is too late. Schools can also play an important role by teaching children about the dangers of strangers through stories, role playing and discussions. They can also be taught ways to defend themselves and the need to raise the alarm and report any person promptly without fear. Teachers should be told to be alert at all times. If they detect a child suddenly behaving strangely they should ask the parents to come in and ask if there has been any changes at home or if someone new has moved in or is visiting. In my opinion, being vigilant and educating parents, caregivers and children about the dangers around them is crucial in dealing with this situation. Child abuse is a heinous crime and needs our immediate and collective effort to combat it.
From Ms Umbereen Rahman
Dubai
Web comment
Worldwide initiative
This is a great idea (‘A loving home for the abandoned in UAE,’ Gulf News, April 27). All countries should study this model and organise similar villages to nurture their orphans. Dubai is fulfilling its religious duty, as well as its responsibilities by taking care of its orphans, who should be nurtured and raised to be responsible citizens.
From Mr Shereef H. Mohammad
UAE
Plenty of opportunities
Very high praise, congratulations and prayers for the Rulers. The UAE is well balanced in all aspects. It provides many business opportunities. Knowledge is power. I read Gulf News, especially the Your Turn page and have noticed that women seem more interested in reading this section and perhaps make up the newspaper’s main readership as a whole. One might also be able to say the same is true [of newspapers] on the Europe and American continents, but alas, not in South Asia, especially not my country, Afghanistan. I hope one day my country’s inhabitants will feel the power of education, too, and use it as their mightiest weapon to face the world and this new technological century.
From Ms Nour Ahmad Khwashal
Afghanistan
No comparison
Though many commentators, viewers and members of the media would label cricketers Shahid Afridi, Virender Sehwag, Yousuf Pathan and Yuvraj Singh hitters, I have to say they are not (‘‘Gayle Force’ takes sporting world by storm,’ Gulf News, April 27). Rather they are more tukka [fluke] players. The only real hitters I have seen in my lifetime are Chris Gayle and Adam Gilchrist.
From Mr Fayez
Dubai
Web comment
Best batsman
You are right Mr Fayez, all the players you listed can only perform under Asian conditions, but if they play under English, Australian or South African conditions they will return to the pavillion before the score reaches double digits. In my opinion, in today’s day and age, the best batsman is India’s Cheteshwar Pujara. Take a look at his batting and you will see very rare stroke play, but at the same time he scores at a healthy strike rate, even in Test matches. The other day, Chris Gayle played a record-breaking inning, but the bowling attack was very poor. No doubt he is a great hitter, but it looked like street cricket.
From Mr Bhavesh Vaishnav
Ajman
Web comment
Personal appeal
I am a grade seven student and after school, when the bus drops me off at my stop, I have to cross the road to reach my home. Most of the cars in my area do not stop when the bus’ stop sign is out and there is also no conductor on my bus to help us cross the road. Drivers should understand that there are children crossing the road, and should wait until everyone has crossed before moving forward. I hope that drivers understand this and do not continue in this manner. Also, school authorities should provide all buses with conductors.
From Ms Sara Waseem
Dubai
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