Children taught about how to deal with forms of abuse and stranger danger

FUJAIRAH // Children are being taught how to say no to sexual and physical abuse as part of a campaign organised by Fujairah Juvenile Care and Awareness Association.

School pupils aged 6 to 8 and disabled children were given booklets advising them to “learn how to say no” to strangers, and how to report abuse.

About 20 public and private schools with disability centres in Dibba, Khor Fakkan, Kalba and Fujairah were involved and organisers said the programme will continue to reach out to more schools, parents and pupils.

“We started the campaign last year in collaboration with the police. This is a very important subject and spreading awareness to parents and students can help prevent many forms of abuse that could harm the children,” said Huyam Al Hammadi.

The booklet contains colouring-in stories about the danger of talking to strangers and the importance of reporting any unpleasant behaviour to parents, while a play was also performed to illustrate how they should deal with certain situations.

“Students from kindergarten to grade three are the ones we are focusing on during this campaign, along with disabled children, as they should be familiar with the terms and the consequences of certain behaviours and the most important thing is to learn how to say no,” said Ms Al Hammadi.

“We also target parents as they should know how to deal with such situations and report it immediately to the authorities.”

Aisha Al Kindi, the association’s programmes manager, said: “Kids can be seduced with toys, money and candy therefore they should be fully aware and never go along or interact with strangers without the parents’ approval.”

A teacher at Fujairah Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled said that about 36 young adults with intellectual disabilities had benefited from the campaign, while parents expressed their gratitude at the efforts being made to educate their children on stranger danger.

“I have an outgoing son who likes to shake hands and speak to almost everyone and that really makes me nervous and worried all the time,” said Shamsa Al Abdouli, a 30-year-old Emirati mother of two.

“We tried to explain to him how dangerous it is to speak to strangers that we don’t know but he is only four and I don’t know if he can understand the point, therefore using professional help from experts is essential and appreciated.”