Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announces strategy to tackle domestic violence

The Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai introduced the family protection policy during a Cabinet meeting on Monday

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said the UAE's leadership would not tolerate any form of harm inflicted on young children, elderly people or vulnerable women.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the launch of a family protection policy to  tackle domestic violence while chairing a meeting of the UAE Cabinet on Monday.

Sheikh Mohammed said the strategy would support authorities in their efforts to safeguard all sections of society.

The directive is expected to help strengthen family ties, increase awareness of domestic abuse and train staff to detect potential dangers and intervene more efficiently.

"Today, we have approved the family protection policy, and measures of security, intervention and prevention of all kinds of family violence," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.

"In the UAE, we do not tolerate any kind of harm against children, elderly or vulnerable women."

A database will be introduced to bring together various institutions working to combat the issue, allowing them to share information and work together to boost the safety of at-risk groups.

A standardised system to report incidents of domestic abuse will also be created.

Elsewhere on the agenda, the Cabinet announced plans to regulate voluntary work across the Emirates.

New legislation will set out rules for individuals and authorities, and clarify how volunteering can be done from outside of the country.

Sheikh Mohammed also announced a shake-up of Emirates Post management, revealing the board of directors would be restructured.

The move comes amid strong criticism of the service, including one of its branches, Sharjah’s Al Khan Emirates Post, being declared the worst government service centre in the UAE.

The top five and five poorest performing centres were announced by Sheikh Mohammed in September, following an extensive study that examined 600 government service providers across the Emirates.

The postal operator vowed to raise its standards after the damning assessment for its branch.

"Following Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's comprehensive evaluation of all UAE’s government centres, we humbly acknowledge that transformation within our business is needed," an Emirates Post statement read in September.

"To address this, we have deployed a dedicated team on-the-ground at our Sharjah Al Khan branch to improve services as a matter of urgency, as well as reviewing branches across the network.

"As a business, we are focused on improving the quality of our services and enhancing the customer experience in line with the vision and guidance of Sheikh Mohammed."

Sheikh Mohammed also welcomed the signing of the Riyadh agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council during the Cabinet meeting.

"The kingdom’s effort to unify Yemeni rank is worthy of [the] UAE’s continued appreciation and support," Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, attended the signing of the power-sharing deal between the Yemeni government and the STC in Riyadh last week.

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, congratulated the two sides on the deal, which he said would drive efforts to end the civil war that has devastated the country.

"The signing of this agreement is an important step for our collective efforts to advance a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Yemen," Mr Griffiths said.