New legislation can put an end to every child abuse case in the country. But that can happen only if all of us work together to enforce it.
The child protection law – initially called Wadeema’s Law in memory of the Emirati girl who was tortured to death by her father and his girlfriend – was drafted by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Interior.
They later combined efforts to ensure harsh penalties for offenders and a high level of social protection is granted to all children. The law, as officials frequently stated, is meant to ensure such a tragedy does not occur again.
The law has become widely known for the introduction of a child specialist’s provision. These specialists are granted authority to protect children by removing a child from a home if found in imminent danger, without requiring a court order.
In fact, focus on this clause made parents unappreciative of the other parts of the law. During the drafting stage, several parents expressed concerns to Federal National Council members that the law would obstruct their parenting methods and the way they disciplined their children.
Such concerns suggest more needs to be done to talk to the community about the many provisions within the legislation.
The law, one of the most important in the country and the most comprehensive in the region, is intended to ensure that a child is protected from everyone who is in contact with them until the age of 18, not only at home, but everywhere, including online. It has placed responsibility on all those in society, including doctors, nurses, hospital staff, teachers, nurseries, shopkeepers, drivers and even cinemas, among others, to ensure child safety.
Adults approached by an abused child will have a duty to alert authorities. Failure to do so will result in fines of up to Dh50,000. Aside from the long list of rights given to children, the law also places a number of duties upon them, including putting an end to truancy.
Just as the law was scrutinised down to its very last details by experts, it now needs to be studied by the public, who need to be clear of their own responsibilities.
FNC members have said that just like many laws before it, the lack of knowledge and awareness will be its greatest obstacle.
One example is the 2009 anti-tobacco law, which bans smoking in malls. An investigation by The National in 2013 found that many outlets still served shisha. Under the child protection law, outlets are prohibited from serving shisha to minors or allowing them to be exposed to second-hand smoke.
Training needs to be given a high priority to ensure practitioners can spot signs of abuse or neglect. Traders will need to be given the tools to deal with children who resist the law.
Clear infrastructure is also vital to ensure that in extreme cases, when children are removed from their home, these interventions are carried out in a manner that does not disturb the child’s upbringing or education. While on a visit with the FNC to the judicial department in Abu Dhabi last year, an official from the court told the council that although they were eagerly awaiting the law for its heavy penalties, they struggled to see how it could be enforced, particularly in the Northern Emirates, which have fewer resources than Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He said they saw child abuse cases on a monthly basis. He said even Abu Dhabi and Dubai would struggle to enforce the law completely. The official highlighted the need for strong infrastructure and a place for these children to be sheltered.
While the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Interior now hold a big responsibility to ensure proper infrastructure and resources are available to accommodate abused children, it is crucial for every person in society to know their duty to ensure such a pivotal law is enforced.
Only then would the story of Wadeema be the last we hear of such a tragedy.
Ola Salem is a former political reporter at The National
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
