Manama: The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) has called for policy changes in the Arab world in order to strengthen rather than undermine the family unit.
Executive Director Noor Al Malki Al Jehani, highlighted the need for regional family-centred policies as she addressed the 52nd session of the UN Commission for Social Development in New York, saying that due to the “Arab Spring”, the region was currently witnessing unprecedented levels of conflict and unrest that continued to threaten the stability of families and society overall.
“Although the family is confirmed as the basic unit of society in most constitutions in the Arab world, and the family’s strength, stability and commitment to its individual members is considered the foundation of national and regional development trajectories, the reality is far removed from this ideal,” Noor said. “Across the region, the family unit has not been an essential component in the policy development as individuals remain the focus of national strategies. Hence, across the region explicit family policies are rare and do not meet international standards, like maternity leave.”
Noor warned of the negative economic impact of family breakdowns.
“Failing to support and protect family relationships results in eventual family breakdowns that are extremely costly in solely economic terms. The macro socio-economic implications of such breakdowns need to be quantified transparently with regards to their subsequent burden on the economy and the taxpayers,” she said.
As part of the discussions on the need to include families in the Millennium Development Goals and post-2015 Development Agenda, Noor added that framing policies with the intention of strengthen families would empower them and lessen their dependence on the state.
She also highlighted potential ways to build a family-centred policy framework that would include working to end poverty, maternal mortality, child marriages and domestic violence. Additionally, she stressed the need for policies that empower families to change their own lives instead of those that seek to overtake their functions.
The suggested policies include those that support relationship building through education for couples and parents; to support rather than penalise two-parent families; recognise the value of empowering the role of men in families allowing them to take an active role with childcare and recognise and respect the equal rights of women within the family as well as their rights as individual.
Other policies include recognising childbirth as a social function and guaranteeing families the right to social and economic support for childcare, allowing couples to balance their family and work responsibilities; address the needs of families who care for elderly and disabled family members, and supporting intergenerational living arrangements.
DIFI also held a briefing at the UN about the upcoming Doha Conference themed Empowering Families: A Pathway to Development in which Alya Al Thani, Qatar’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, praised DIFI and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affair’s efforts aimed at a better understanding of family issues.
