Moza Shoumi, Member of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, speaking at the forum
Dubai - New Child Protection Law to come into effect on June 15
Published: Fri 20 May 2016, 6:45 PM
Last updated: Sat 21 May 2016, 8:47 AM
Representatives of more than 24 government authorities attended a panel discussion on Thursday to discuss some of the new elements of the Child Protection Law which will come into effect on June 15.
Law 3 of 2016 - informally called 'Wadeema's Law' in memory of an eight-year-old Emirati girl tortured to death by her father here - is a 12-chapter document which lays out the legal rights of minors in the UAE.
Some of the key topics discussed during the meeting included the issue surrounding the abandonment of children in the country.
Member of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, Moza Shoumi said she has come across "many cases" where newborns diagnosed with a disability have been left at a hospital, where parents refuse to take them home.
"We also come across cases where step-children are kicked out of the home when they are 16 years old and are forced to live in juvenile centres. What this law now does is criminalise this act."
Parents or step-parents will now be given three warnings to re-introduce the child back into the home, and if they fail, they will receive either a financial penalty or imprisonment, depending on the nature of the case.
"If the parent does not respond to the third warning, the case will become a criminal offence," she said.
Abuse at home, school
A study conducted in 2014 on more than 4,000 students revealed that a tenth of children in UAE schools are exposed to abuse or violence, while such exposure is less in homes. It also revealed that male children were more vulnerable when it comes to abuse. The study, conducted by the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC) on 'Abuse against children in the UAE society' found that 7.2 per cent of male participants were exposed to abuse at home, compared to 5.7 per cent of females.Similarly, more male children suffer abuse at school (15.1 per cent) than female children (9.3 per cent).
Highlighted cases
> April 2015: A special needs child was physically abused by a teacher in Sharjah. The Ministry of Education carried out an investigation into the incident which was reported by the student's father.
> February 2013: The Public Prosecution demanded a death penalty against a stepfather accused of raping his stepchild, as per article 354 of UAE Penal Code on the grounds that the victim was a minor and the act was incest, which is illegal under the purview of Islamic Shariah.
> May 2012: The Wadeema case - An Emirati father was arrested in May 2012 on the charges of torturing and killing Wadeema, and burying her body in a desert location near the Hatta-Oman border.
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Speaking to Khaleej Times, the Community Development Authority's Director General, Khaled Al Kamda, said child protection is a "social responsibility, not a corporate responsibility."
"Although this law is now written, the biggest challenge is getting people to report cases of neglect, abuse, whatever it may be."
Shoumi said a case in point was the failing of UAE-based physicians in reporting suspicious circumstances surrounding paediatric patients in their care.
"All too often, physicians refrain from reporting injuries on children they deem suspicious, but this is now mandatory. If they do not report it, they will be punished."
Described as a kind of "preparation for the law enforcement stage", Al Kamda said this first consultative meeting was hosted to ensure all stakeholders, as well as the public, are on the "same page and well aware of the law's spirit" before it enters action.
According to unofficial estimates, 24 per cent of the UAE's population is made up of children, with 45 per cent of the Emirati population represented by children.
What this law does is protect each and every one of this population group, which is defined as children under the age of 18.
Describing the Law as very dear to her heart, Shoumi said it underscores the culture of child protection in the country.
"Earlier, the child protection culture was weak here but this new law fills the gaps in current legislation in the UAE when it comes to the rights of children."
Thursday's panel, which saw valuable inputs from Dr Jassim Al Hosni, the First Judge of Appeal in Dubai Courts, and Major Dana Marzouki, Acting Director of the Child Protection Department of the Ministry of the Interior, tackled five areas of focus of the law including the social, legal, security, and psychological aspects.
It also highlighted the need for more Child Protection Specialists in the country, with the CDA currently employing six such specialists at its Child Protection Centre in Dubai.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com
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