Ministry of Interior launches child safety hotline

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Interior has launched the ‘116111’ hotline, to provide a safety net to protect children.

The hotline is part of an integrated system designed to facilitate reporting of child abuse cases by phone or via the “Hemayati” smart phone application (which means ‘protect me’ in English). Reports may also be made via the MoI Child Protection Centre’s website. “This initiative reflects the MoI’s commitment to children’s safety and security, and reflects the UAE vision, which gives top priority to children, in terms of care and attention, because children are the pillars of the future,” said Major General Dr Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Child Protection at the Ministry of Interior. It is a federal hoteline number.

He said the MoI has launched the toll-free (116111) hotline to receive reports of child abuse cases. He confirmed that through this service, the Ministry seeks further cooperation with all segments of society.

He said the centre will immediately provide advice and support and will take the necessary action in this matter. “The Hotline is the first communication channel to allow community members to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect, in order to provide safety, security and protection for all children in the UAE,” he added.

Maj Gen Al Nuaimi calls upon community members to communicate with the police to report any suspected child abuse incident, because this constitutes a legal obligation. He also urged them to interact with awareness campaigns related to protection of children from abuse or neglect.

The MoI Child Protection Centre will be implementing a number of new initiatives in the upcoming period, focused on enhancing cooperation with partners at the different ministries and concerned authorities, in order to acquaint community members from all backgrounds and especially children, with the hotline for child protection, its mission and goals. To this end, the toll-free hotline number (116111) has been added to the list of essential and important contact numbers in the UAE and provided to Arab and foreign embassies in order to acquaint the various communities residing in the UAE with the hotline and the e-reporting service.

E-Reporting service

The hotline for Child Protection is a federal helpline to facilitate reporting cases of child abuse by phone in coordination with major partners such as the Child Protection Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs; the hotline allocated by the Community Development Authority in Dubai; the child abuse helpline at the Sharjah Social Services Department; the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children; EWAA Centre in Abu Dhabi, and other concerned parties at the countrywide level. The E-Reporting Service was also created on the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centre’s website on moi-cpc.gov.ae, based on the fact that topics related to child protection require privacy, and that some entities prefer reporting in writing instead of calling it in, or talking to others about it. Dozens of reports have been received from children, adults and teachers and from community members from different backgrounds and nationalities; and measures were taken accordingly.