DUBAI // Parents have praised a day-long event dedicated to child protection, saying the issue must be raised more often to benefit all parties.
Omran Al Akhras was at the childhood carnival on Saturday with his five-year old daughter, Dana.
“It’s time this became more open. It’s an important topic,” said the Jordanian.
“In our culture, in this region, families don’t really talk about these matters so it’s good to open the kids up to the questions and make them understand how to deal with it, especially living in the UAE which is so multicultural. It’s good to make the kids aware that it’s happening and it might happen to them.”
The event, Protect Childhood: It’s Precious, was held at the Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children in association with the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.
Mr Al Akhras also took his daughter to an interactive lecture that was on offer.
“From there, the children were learning to defend themselves, how to interact with adults, how to deal with bullying.”
He said the parents learned as much as children.
“It’s as important for the parents to hear these lessons,” he said. “For us, we’ve never spoken about this and now we know how to open such subjects and talk about it.”
Ahmed Al Saiqal, an Emirati father of four, agreed.
“The lecture was as beneficial for me as it was for the children,” he said. “It was very helpful talking about many issues, such as how children can protect themselves online, how to build confidence, all done on their level and with their participation.”
He said understanding was vital, not least when it came to online safety and the use of mobile phones.
“The children have really learnt about taking care of themselves today,” he said. “Things like if a stranger online or outside asks for their name, their number, what they’re meant to do, they know not to tell.”
Children took part in such activities as painting, kung fu, pottery, computer games and live performance at the event. As an annual fixture for the foundation, it helps women and children who are victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking.
Maryam Bin Theneya, the foundation’s communications director, said: “We run this campaign every year because it’s not just about providing shelter for our clients but preventing abuse. These lectures are teaching children to know how to protect themselves, how to say no, what to do if you’ve been approached, encouraging them to talk about what’s happening so it doesn’t happen again.”
Anita Sunil Kumar is the foundation’s clinical psychologist. She was there to educate parents on how to deal with child abuse.
“Today’s lecture focuses on child protection, what child rights are, how children can be protected and how important the parents should hold this major social responsibility of creating awareness,” she said. “Every carer holds this responsibility to spread the message at its fullest.”
Witnessing domestic abuse was of major concern, she said, having potentially huge detrimental effects on children.
mswan@thenational.ae