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Covid-19: Dubai Women's Foundation constructing isolation building for new inmates

Dubai - Facility to provide a healthy and safe shelter for cases the foundation receives during health crises.

The Dubai Foundation for Women and Children is constructing an 'Isolation Building' to protect its beneficiaries and faculty to ensure the continuity of its services with high safety measures.

The foundation launched the project in partnership with L’Oréal Fund for Women that aims to support its mission in protecting, advocating and empowering women.

Through this project, new residents of the foundation will be placed upon arrival in the isolation building (in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic) to undergo medical screening before they are transferred to the main shelter to eliminate the risks of highly contagious diseases.

The Covid-19 pandemic has generated social and economic crisis on women around the world as well as increased cases of domestic abuse. To help mitigate these challenges and to support highly vulnerable women, L’Oréal Fund for Women, a three-year charitable endowment fund of €50 million (Dh217 million), was founded in 2020 under L’Oréal For the Future” programme, the group’s 2030 sustainable development roadmap.

In this context, Sheikha Saeed Al Mansouri, Acting Director-General of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children’s Care, emphasised that the foundation is continuing to provide shelter services for all women and children who are victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and human trafficking.

"We aim to ensure the victims' safety and secondly, to rehabilitate them psychologically and socially according to the best international practices. Therefore, under the current circumstances of the pandemic and the problems associated with it, disputes and family pressures, we endeavour in the foundation the utmost safety for all inhabitants, including cases and employees," she said.

She also appreciated the role of L'Oréal’s Group in supporting and helping women and children under the current circumstances, through their generous funding to the project. She added that it was not the first time that L'Oréal supported cases in the foundation, as it already contributed to the implementation of many initiatives and projects related to women and children issues, which confirms the joint keenness to open new horizons in this field.

Commenting on the new partnership with the foundation, Rémi Chadapaux, Managing Director of L’Oréal Middle East, said: “With the pandemic’s devastating effects, especially on women increasing abuse and domestic violence, we felt the urge to play our part by supporting the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children in its mission to protect women and provide a safe and healthy environment during these difficult times.”

On her part, Ghanima Al Bahri, Care and Rehabilitation Director, said: “The isolation building project contributes to reducing the rates of violence directed at women and children from across Dubai and thus corresponds to the foundation's vision of creating a safe society. This will help provide a healthy and safe shelter for the cases that the foundation receives during any health crises and disasters that have made many shelters around the world close their doors. Therefore, the foundation was keen to emphasise that the principle of prevention, safety and protection of victims of violence is one of its priorities, and this project will contribute to enhancing the mental health of women and children in this period. Those cases will be constantly in contact with psychologists and social workers to check on their psychological, physical and mental health once she is isolated in the building besides providing her with all supplies by the staff working in the foundation."

saman@khaleejtimes.com