Sharjah: Authorities in Sharjah have launched a new awareness campaign for child safety in vehicles and during trips to enjoy the winter weather.
The Child Safety Department (CSD), an affiliate of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, launched ‘Enjoy a Safe Winter’ in collaboration with Sharjah Police via CSD’s social media platforms.
The campaign emphasises the importance of keeping children safe in vehicles and on outdoor trips and aims to raise awareness of potential hazards to minimise risks and avoid preventable mishaps. The campaign also aims to enhance communication and joint action between CSD and the local communities to boost family cohesion and ensure physical and psychological safety.
Safety guidelines
As part of the campaign, CSD has launched ‘Winter Trips: Safety Guidelines’ that address a range of risks to children in vehicles and on long trips and offers safety guidelines for parents to prevent any form of accidents and keep children safe.
CSD has also produced several educational child safety videos via various social media platforms to outline strategies to improve parents’ knowledge of measures designed to prevent injuries or accidents, as well as ways to enhance safety, utilising detailed illustrations.
'Awareness is crucial'
CSD director Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei said: “With the onset of cool weather in the UAE at this time of the year, families and individuals tend to spend more time outdoors, including going on cruises and road trips. Therefore, an awareness drive is crucial to educate society members on always keeping children safe.”
She added: “Our new campaign reflects our commitment to familiarise parents and caregivers with safety risks to ensure children remain protected. Our safety initiatives and programmes are designed to keep a child protected on all social occasions, during school events, and for every change of season and weather conditions.”
Al Yafei said: “Despite the awareness efforts across multiple and different channels, some families still demonstrate irresponsible behaviour and neglect the safety of their children in vehicles or on trips, which has unfortunately led to many accidents. We urge parents to be responsible and minimise risk of injuries by following CSD’s awareness campaigns to educate themselves and equip themselves with all knowledge about child safety and protection.”
