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UAE: Awareness campaign launched to boost parent-kid relationship

Abu Dhabi - Educational videos, scientific fact sheets to be distributed by authorities to help parents create positive relationship with kids.

The Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi (DCD) in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched an awareness campaign ‘Listen First’ – a first in the region – to promote healthy relationship between parents and children.

Marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Dr Laila Al Hayas, executive director of the monitoring and innovation sector, DCD, underlined that family is the ‘first life school’, where interaction happens within members.

“Many studies have shown that actively listening to children is one of the most protective factors against dangerous behaviours, most notably bullying, substance abuse, and violence.”

As part of the campaign, educational videos and scientific fact sheets will be distributed to help parents create a positive relationship with their children.

Judge Hatem Aly, representative of UNODC for the GCC region, noted: “Children and youth empowerment is a key part of UNODC’s work towards preventing drug use and crime, and thanks to the collaboration with DCD we hope to expand this initiative to other countries in the region.”

Thamer Rashid Al Qasimi, executive director, special projects and outreach at Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, said that parents need to promote communication with kids from early years to build a strong relationship of trust, appreciation and better understanding.

Abdulrahman Sayed Al Blooshi, strategic planning and institutional development division director of Family Development Foundation (FDF), added the campaign comes at a crucial time for children and parents. “Amid the rapid pace of development that the world has witnessed, societies have undergone significant changes, thus it has become crucial for families to pay more attention to their role in protecting the internal social structure.”

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com