Young visitors to the 38th Sharjah International Book Fair received a valuable safety lesson during a story-telling session organised by the Child Safety Department (CSD), an affiliate of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah.

Author, Sabah Deeby led an interactive session that saw children engage with her story, A Day in the Market, taking turns to each read out lines from it.

The book tells the story of a young turtle who gets separated from her mother on a visit to the market. A policeman helps her find her way back home, thanks to her mother’s forward thinking to draw a map to their home on her daughter’s shell before leaving the house.

The story underscores the importance of following parents’ instructions and highlights the need for children to wear identifying bracelets or carry notes that include their parents’ names and contact information.

As part of its efforts to educate children on various topics related to their physical and psychological safety, CSD organised a second session on bullying for SIBF’s young visitors. Led by Nahla Hamdan Al Saadi, Head of Programmes and Events at CSD, the discussion introduced them to the seriousness of bullying, its types, and the various response mechanisms to bullying, such as ignoring the bully, telling parents, or telling a teacher.

The session also highlighted the importance of fostering a positive environment for children by focusing on values such as teamwork, compassion, giving and helping others, and introduced the children to Sharjah’s child safety hotline 800700 to report any serious abuse or injury.