Toddler slips out of window, plunges to death

Abu Dhabi: A three-year-old boy fell to his death from the 13th floor of a high-rise building in Khalidiya on Tuesday, police said in a statement yesterday.

The boy, an Emirati national identified by the police only as A.T, is believed to have slipped through a narrow window opening.

Colonel Maktoum Ali Al Sharifi, director of the Abu Dhabi Police Criminal Investigation Department, said that the incident happened while the child was at the residence of a relative.

"The child fell to the ground after slipping through a narrow window opening. The impact of the fall from the high-rise killed him instantly," Colonel Al Sharifi said in the statement.

Possible negligence

Initial investigations at the scene indicate that negligence caused the death of the child, he noted.

The family was already suffering from marital discord, a police official told Gulf News yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The parents of the child are divorced and the child is living with his mother and a housemaid, the official said.

"The horror of falling from such heights is beyond words … the body of the child had multiple injuries," he said.

Following forensic examination that confirmed that the fall was the cause of death, the child was buried by the family.

Abu Dhabi police called on the public to ensure the safety of their children, in the wake of the gruesome death of the young one.

Colonel Al Sharifi appealed to parents not to leave their children alone, especially in apartments. He asked parents to keep windows locked and to avoid placing furniture near windows.

He also asked parents not to rely solely on domestic workers. Parents must constantly monitor their children, even while they are playing in the house.

It is essential that the safety of children is never compromised, in order to avoid unfortunate incidents, he said.

The most recent statistics from the police show 6,146 children were involved in various accidents between 2001 and 2007.

Due to the lack of a child-protection law, no legal action is taken against anyone in such cases.

New law

Meanwhile, the government announced last year that a comprehensive child-protection law is being drawn up.

The proposed law aims to guarantee the responsibilities and duties of the parents or the legal guardian towards appropriate rearing, care and direction of the child.

It will ensure appropriate measures to protect the child from physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parents, legal guardians or any person entrusted with the care of the child, officials said.