Hotline to help protect children from abuse

Be it from the real world or the virtual world, protecting children is one of the essences of life. And no crime is more superior to the crime of child abuse, whether it's online or offline.
To safeguard children from such abuses, a hotline was introduced in the country on the sidelines of 'We Protect Children Online Global Summit' held in the Emirates Palace on Monday morning.
Lt-Gen Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the UAE, launched the helpline number 116111, an integrated system designed to facilitate the reporting of child abuse operations.
The second annual summit held under the theme "We protect" saw local as well as global experts, who urged residents to be aware of the dangers of the Internet, and its impact on children.
Lt-Gen Shaikh Saif, on behalf of the UAE government, expressed deep condolences on the families of the victims of Friday's Paris attacks.
Lt-Gen Shaikh Saif said: "Terrorism has no religion and the ideology of terrorism is built on hatred. These people don't have a religion that tells them to carry out hate crimes."
"We are here to protect the most valuable thing we own," said Shaikh Saif, adding that "a treasure unlike any other."
Fatoumata Ndiaye, Unicef deputy executive director, called for an end to online child abuse saying that no crime is more superior to the crime of child abuse, whether it's online or offline. "It inflicts physical wounds that can heal with time, and psychological ones that often don't," she said.
Youngsters have thus become the most vital part in addressing the issue of online sexual exploitation, as they are more connected online and using social media networking sites.
Unicef has, therefore, established a global programme to tackle online sexual exploitation in 17 countries across six regions.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE