Children’s safe room aiding justice

Dubai Family and Juvenile Prosecution's 'child room' is a place where play and drawing can lead to revelations from children about what is going on behind closed doors.

DUBAI // A room where social workers can discreetly engage with children is helping prosecutors in their war against child abuse.

Family court prosecutors monitor the meetings from outside the room, and advise the welfare workers on the best line of questioning.

The room, which opened last month, has been used to uncover through a little girl’s drawings and play that she was being sexually assaulted by her father.

“The eight-year-old girl would always draw herself, her mother and her sister,” said Maitha Al Suwaidi, a social researcher for the family prosecution department.

“When asked about why she’s not drawing her father, she would go into a fit of hysterical laughter.

“Then the only time she drew her father, he was falling from a staircase.

“When I asked her what it was about, she said it’s when her father falls to his death.”

Advocate General Mohammed Rustom, head of Dubai family prosecution, said the room was used for children who are abused by family members, or who are part of a family involved in a criminal case.

“We are present in a room attached to the child room but separated by non-reflective glass, which allows investigators to see everything and communicate with the social worker through hidden earphones,” said Mr Rustom.

He said his department had investigated 539 family cases in 2014, 537 in 2015, and 568 last year. Of those, 286 were juvenile cases in 2014, 323 in 2015, and 260 last year.

“We can’t specify certain factors that contribute to an increase in the number of cases, of which the majority were issuing insults and physical assault, but recently we see an increase in family cases related to social media,” said Mr Rustom.

He said other programmes by the department included Nibras, which was launched in 2010 and had taught more than 5,000 youths between the ages of 14 and 18 about the country’s laws.

“We feel it’s a moral obligation, it’s an investment in the next generation by preparing them and educating them about law, and we’ve received several feedback letters telling of juveniles that have changed for the best,” Mr Rustom said.

Bright Stars is another programme launched last year, targeting children from 4 to 10.

“It depends not on lectures but on play and activities that would eventually deliver a message to the children, and educate them about right and wrong,” said Mr Rustom.

“We are not obligated to do this – it’s far from our investigative line of work – but we do it because we believe in building an educated generation, and this is our moral obligation.”