Sharjah, Unicef team up to reduce cases of violence against kids

Sharjah - Sharjah is the first emirate to have a 24-hour hotline facility to report abuse against children.

A new campaign in Sharjah will help authorities reduce the number of cases of violence against children. The Sharjah Social Service Department (SSSD) teamed up with the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) to launch the awareness programme called 'enough of violence', on Monday.
The programme includes workshops that will explain the types of violence and how it impacts children. It will also suggest ways of dealing with children's problems.
Ahmed Al Mail, director of government communication at the SSSD, said the programme will also issue guidelines for residents to intervene when he/she sees children being subjected to violence.
A social worker at the SSSD said the child abuse helpline (800700) in Sharjah registered 483 cases in 2017 and 2018. "Most of the calls were regarding physical abuse by parents, caregivers or other people. The helpline also received reports about sexual and physical abuse and negligence. This includes cases related to schools, homelessness and misconduct," the social worker said.
Sharjah is the first emirate to have a 24-hour hotline facility to report abuse against children. A team of social workers, psychologists and lawyers respond to the calls and refer the cases to the departments concerned, including the police.
"Beating up children is not the right approach to disciplining children. It affects their ability to learn. There are many instances of children running away from their homes due to physical abuse by their guardians," he added.
- afkarali@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Sharjah