Efforts to develop child protection strategies get recognition

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Interior Child Protection Centre’s Facebook page was verified to be on the top list of recommended pages and the first government organisation to achieve such recognition in the Middle East and North Africa.

Some well-known public pages and figures with large followings are verified by Facebook as having an authentic identity. A blue badge can be seen next to a verified profile or page’s name.

These profiles and pages may include celebrities, journalists, government officials and popular brands and business.

The announcement came on Saturday to attract more people to visit the page, raise awareness about child protection and ensure their safety in situations where their health is endangered in any way.

Major General Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior stressed UAE’s commitment to protect children in the UAE and all over the world against all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.

He also pointed out that the Ministry of Interior has worked hard to develop communication and interaction levels with the public through social networks to offer support and special care to children in need and produce a healthy society free of social problems that could compromise its security and stability.

The blue badge awarded to the Ministry of Interior Child Protection Centre’s Facebook page will allow people to find it more quickly and differentiate it from other fake accounts.

Meanwhile, Lt Col Faisal Mohammad Al Shammari, Director of the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centre, said that such verification will confirm the identity of the account and enable people to report any cases of psychological and physical abuse against children freely.

It is noteworthy that the phenomenon of bullying has spread and is now a significant threat to the health and safety of many children.

One of every seven pupils has been a bully or has been a victim of bullying. Bully victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide, according to recent statistics announced by the Child Protection Centre in Abu Dhabi.

Also around 10 per cent of pupils drop out of schools do so because of repeated bullying and about 90 per cent of victims admit suffering negative side effects such as, significant drop in grade, increase in anxiety, loss of friends, and loss of social life.