Dealing with child abuse requires care

A sensitive issue like child abuse requires cautious vigilance and proactive policy

Should all adults have a responsibility to alert the authorities to cases of suspected child abuse? (Sarah Dea /The National)

Child abuse ought to concern every member of society, but many of us would rightly feel reluctant to report apparent cases of mistreatment against children in the absence of overwhelming proof. All this raises the question of who ought to bear the responsibility to report such cases.

Some countries in the developed world, such as the United States and Canada, have made it obligatory to report suspected child abuse and neglect. Other countries, including the UK, are studying proposals that make it a criminal offence for teachers, social workers and those directly involved with children not to report suspicions of abuse. The UAE Child Rights Law, which was approved by the Federal National Council in 2014, with further amendments passed last December, is also expected to require suspected cases of abuse to be reported, which means what might once have been a purely domestic matter will now be no longer private. This will require nursery and school staff across the country to be trained in how to detect and report child abuse.

But should we take it a step further and extend the responsibility to include every adult, or will that be too far-reaching?

The Government here has been taking advice on the issue from Austability, an Australian company that has organised free community workshops and seminars on child protection in Dubai. Shona Spence, a Scottish lawyer working with Austability, argues that any adult who suspects a child is the victim of potentially criminal abuse should be required to alert the authorities.

It is proper for all of us to be vigilant when it comes to very sensitive issues such as child abuse and neglect. Children are more vulnerable than adults and can fall prey to physical, mental or sexual abuse. They can ­be neglected by their own parents or caregivers and left without care. They can easily be victims of trafficking and forced labour because they can’t speak up for themselves.

But equally we must exercise a high degree of caution. This cannot be a place where mob rule or smeared reputations should be allowed. The right thing to do is to alert the authorities and allow the trained professionals in this field to discern if abuse has occurred and decide how to respond to it in a way that minimises the impact on the child. The obligation to report would then mean the whole community will act as the ears and eyes for the authorities, but it is for them alone to decide how tip-offs should be treated.