ABU DHABI // No child should die falling from a high-rise building and parents, teachers, landlords and building regulators all have a role to play in curbing the death toll, experts said yesterday.
They spoke after a four-year-old boy fell to his death on Monday from a sixth-floor apartment in Sharjah. It was the second such death this month, and eight children in the past 14 months have died or been seriously injured falling from buildings.
Abu Dhabi has launched a poster campaign urging families to report defects in their homes that could be a risk to children, but authorities admit enforcement of building regulations alone is not enough.
“All parties have to work hard to avoid such occurrences,” said Abdulaziz Zurub, director of health, safety and environment at Abu Dhabi Municipality.
Parents have been urged not to delegate child care to untrained maids or cleaners, to make their homes safer and to learn more about the risks. Building inspectors have found furniture beside windows and sliding doors that a child could easily open. “It’s not acceptable,” Mr Zurub said.
Teachers and paediatricians should spread awareness about the risks, said Dr Taisser Atrak, head of paediatrics at Mafraq Hospital. “No child should fall from any building, anywhere.”
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