Five women child protection specialists sworn in before undersecretary of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department

Abu Dhabi: Five women child protection specialists were sworn in before Youssef Saeed Al Abri, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), as part of the legal requirements to begin performing their child protection duties in accordance with Federal Child Protection Law No 3 of 2016 (commonly known as Wadeema Law) and the executive regulations thereof.

During a discussion with the specialists at the end of the swearing-in ceremony, Al Abri congratulated the five female specialists, wishing them success in carrying out their work, stressing the importance of the role assigned to them under the Wadeema Law in terms of preventive intervention in cases where the health or safety of a child is threatened, and therapeutic intervention in cases of child abuse, exploitation and neglect in violation of the provisions of the law.

Al Abri also highlighted the attention and care given to children at all levels in the UAE as part of a sustainable approach based on an effective legislative and executive structure.

The ADJD undersecretary also stated that child protection specialists had previously attended a preparatory programme to acquire the capacity of judicial officers, which was delivered by Abu Dhabi Judicial Academy (ADJA), in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA). This is in line with the directives of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and President of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to provide a judicial and legal structure to contribute towards the success of the society’s efforts to create a child-friendly environment, based on scientific foundations, and to develop training plans to promote a child-friendly judicial order in accordance with best standards and practises, Al Abri explained.

Responding to the needs of children

The preparatory programme, Al Abri added, covered a number of theoretical and practical courses, including familiarising the trainees with various aspects of their roles and authorities as judicial and administrative officers, in accordance with the legal framework and regulations that are currently in force in Abu Dhabi, building their capacity to take preventive legal measures to protect children from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence, and introducing them to the knowledge, trends, behaviours and skills needed to respond to the needs of children who are victims of violence.

The programme also provided an intensive training on the various aspects of legal and judicial protection contained in international treaties and federal and local legislations, which constitute an integrated system for the protection of children, the sustainability of their development and the guarantee of their rights.