UAE urged to act rapidly on child protection law

Dubai: The UAE must urgently enact child protection laws to prevent children from falling prey to abuse, violence and neglect, researchers have urged.

Despite the government drafting a Child Rights Law in December 2008, it has yet to be enacted.

The call to enact the law came at a forum titled Child Protection in the UAE conducted by the Dubai School of Government (DSG) with the participation of a number of experts, academics and policymakers.

In the lack of clear legislation and not knowing what exactly is to be done when they suspect a case of a child in distress, educators and counsellors openly shared their frustrations, calling for action.

A study prepared by Anita Akkawi and Fatma Belrehif, graduates of the masters in public administration programme at the DSG, which was presented at the forum, showed 91 per cent of people surveyed believed there is a need for legislation to protect children.

The rest dismissed it as merely a trendy topic and were in denial that no child protection issues exist in the UAE. Few thought it would give more power to children encouraging them to break family rules and called such a law an intrusion into family affairs. They recommended increasing awareness instead.

"A holistic approach to child protection is lacking in the UAE. The chief impediment to the law's enactment and implementation is cultural norms, apart from the lack of trained expertise," Akkawi said, based on the study. One hundred and twenty-two people were surveyed and 10 stakeholders — including officials from police, health care sector and schools. The UAE, being a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1997, must enact the law at the earliest, she said.

Those in favour of the law suggested that it should make it obligatory to report suspected cases and standardise procedures.

"The law alone is not enough. It would remain literature on child protection unless teachers and parents are all on the same page," Gassan Khalil, adviser on social polity and strategic planning at the community development authority said. He said children should be given a voice so they will be heard.

Training: Flawed system

Social workers deployed by the government to public schools do no good to protect children in the present scenario, Fatima Al Merri, a member of the Federal National Council (FNC) and head of the Dubai School Agency at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said.

"No social worker has been appointed to any public school in the UAE in the past six years although many have retired. Those who are still there are reduced to doing administrative jobs and are just waiting for their retirement," Al Merri said.

She highlighted the lack of social workers and adequate training.