The Child Safety Department (CSD) in Sharjah, an affiliate of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), has marked Emirati Children’s Day by engaging teachers, childcare specialists, children and others members of the community in both in-person and virtually held workshops and awareness sessions to sensitise them on the need to make the practice of child safety a pillar of family and community life.

The events were organised from March 13 – 16, and furthered CSD’s ongoing mission to educate and empower society to be able to raise future generations in a secure environment that upholds and supports children’s rights.

Organised in collaboration with local and federal educational institutions, the sessions shed light on the importance of safeguarding children from various forms of abuse, providing participants with the knowledge and tools they need to protect children from the risks as well as the know-how to handle cases of abuse.

The talks also stressed the importance of building safe and enabling environments in which children will enjoy every right the UAE’s national law accords to them.

Hanadi Al Yafei, Director of CSD, noted that their Emirati Children’s Day programme was part of the entity’s comprehensive annual calendar designed for the year, and embodies the vision and mission of Sharjah to offer children and youth living in the emirate a safe, enabling and creative environment within which to realise their full potential.

“It is important that we all strive to create a safe environment for children to build confidence, bring out the best in themselves, and lead our society into a bright future”, she added.

The department organised a virtual session titled ‘Keeping their Innocence’ held in partnership with the Emirates Schools Establishment and the Sharjah Private Education Authority, Dr. Heba Hariri, a Saudi Arabian psychotherapist, shared proper methods to protect children from abuse. She clearly differentiated between natural and unnatural behaviours in children and offered practical explanations of tangible and intangible forms of child abuse. Hariri also highlighted signs of abuse in children and explained how to handle young victims.

The session, which saw the attendance of around 900 teachers and specialists, listed the ways families and schools can protect children from abuse, and highlighted the need for parent-school collaboration to educate children about unacceptable and harmful behaviours they need to watch out for and report, if necessary.