Abu Dhabi: Following the recent spate of incidents of children falling from balconies, police are stepping up the awareness – urging parents to take active measures in keeping their children safe.
On December 9, a 13-month old Arab girl in Sharjah died after she climbed a chair near the window and fell eight floors down. One day later, a five-year-old girl plunged to her death after falling off the ninth floor balcony in Dubai.
On its social networking sites, Abu Dhabi Police released a video as to how a child can use furniture to climb to dangerous heights, which can lead to disastrous consequences.
“As we tend to keep windows open during winter, Abu Dhabi Police calls on parents to keep a close eye on children to protect them from falling, keep furniture away from windows, in addition to installing locks on windows and doors,” announced police.
To ensure the safety of children in apartments, Abu Dhabi Police called on property management companies responsible for residential buildings to increase the level of security in windows, and to install barriers if the building’s structure is not secure enough to prevent children from falling.
Abu Dhabi Police also advised parents to take precautionary measures to keep their children safe.
9 ways to keep your child safe
- Do not leave furniture adjacent to windows, as curious children can use them to climb in order to see what is going on below.
- Set down rules when older children, or teenagers, are allowed to go on balconies.
- Always close the windows for the safety of children, especially when parents are not present, as most windows can be easily opened.
- Install metal barriers on the windows and ensure that the distance between each rail is too small for a child to squeeze through.
- Installing window locks and keep all furniture away.
- Remove large children's toys away from windows as they can also be used to climb near the ledge.
- Always close the balcony door.
- Place all keys of windows and balcony in a place that children cannot reach.
- Do not allow older children to use the balcony as an area to entertain friends.
