I took measures to ensure the safety of children during the Corona pandemic
Child Protection deals with 776 reports within 7 months
"Child protection" provides urgent protection for children. Archives
Amina Al-Rifai: "The department's work teams deal with reports and cases according to the degree of priority."
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The Director of the Child Protection Department at the Department of Social Services in Sharjah, Amina Al-Rifai, confirmed that the department dealt with 776 reports concerning children from the beginning of this year until the end of last July, explaining that during the Corona crisis, the department sought to provide various types of support and support to protect and secure children's rights And providing the appropriate environment for him so that he can enjoy all his rights, explaining that the department has followed several mechanisms in dealing with the cases referred to it under the prevailing circumstances, and has taken several considerations in providing urgent protection for children, in light of social distancing across the child helpline.
She told Emirates Today that the Child Protection Department dealt during the Corona pandemic with a number of cases and reports received regarding violence against children. From February to July, they reached 648 cases, pointing to a relative increase in the reports received at the beginning of this year. And it decreased during the second quarter of the year, as the number of cases from the beginning of this year until the end of last July reached 776 cases, while the administration dealt with 1,109 cases in the same period last year.
Al-Rifai pointed out that under the circumstances of the "Covid-19" pandemic, the administration receives reports via the toll-free line 800700 or via e-mail or the WhatsApp service through the call center. The report is classified as urgent or not urgent, and is dealt with according to the degree. Priority through the "urgent intervention" and "response" work teams, which includes protection specialists who have the status of judicial control, and to achieve a security, social and medical response for the child, in coordination with the concerned authorities.
She explained that one of the most important precautionary measures taken by the departments during the pandemic is to equip a temporary shelter center, which is a quarantine center ready to receive (healthy) children who are in contact with sick patients, and they do not have a breadwinner for those who lack social care due to illness or infection of one of the parents with the "Covid-19" virus. And in coordination with the Sharjah Medical District and Al Qasimi Hospital for Women and Childbirth.
Al-Rifai added that the department has worked to receive requests for temporary accommodation through the call center 800700 or transfer from the competent authorities, pointing out that reports are handled by taking all precautions and safety measures in terms of physical spacing and wearing masks, and providing an electronic sterilization portal to ensure the safety of customers and employees, in addition to Rely on virtual interviews as much as possible.
Al-Rifai indicated that the Child Protection Department has continued to work in the Eshraqa psychological clinic and the legal clinic, relying on interviews and virtual sessions for remote cases, and relying on the conclusion of (electronic) protection measures agreements.
Child protection policy
The Director of the Child Protection Department at the Department of Social Services in Sharjah, Amina Al-Rifai, stated that the department followed several measures during the Corona crisis, including facilitating public communication with the administration remotely through smart programs.
She explained that the administration follows the child protection policy circulated by the senior management, with clarification of the roles and procedures that must be followed to ensure the continuity of services, ensure the protection of children, secure their rights as much as possible, deal with new problems, develop action plans on them, and train work teams on them.
And she emphasized that children should be spared moving between areas as much as possible, thus reducing their exposure to danger, reducing the chance of transmitting the disease to children in the accommodation (while they are in self-quarantine), and adopting a method of interviewing cases through "virtual sessions" as much as possible, while reducing the regular office interviews.
"Child Protection" implemented urgent measures to continue its services during the "Corona" pandemic.