Discussion on family role in protecting childhood

Muscat: The Ministry of Social Development on Monday organised a forum in Muscat titled “Protecting Childhood: A Shared Responsibility”.

The forum discussed ways of raising public awareness about the risks of children’s being victims of violence, neglect or abuse. It stressed the importance of early intervention and prompt action in reporting such cases to the authorities concerned.

Held under the auspices of Attorney General Nasr Khamis Al Sawa’ee, the forum sought ways to enhance the Child Protection System by highlighting the role of the family in protecting children.

The forum reviewed relevant legislation and stressed the need to develop national policies and mechanisms for the protection of children.

It also underlined the importance of establishing partnerships between government departments and civil society institutions to ensure the comprehensive protection of children against all forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

It underscored the role of child protection committees and explored the best local, regional and international practices in the field of child protection.

The forum discussed four main pillars that influence child protection action: The “Preventive measure” envisaged to be realized through public awareness, education and empowerment of children to confront abuse; the “Legal measure” that pertains to the role of law enforcement authorities, the family and women in general (with the context of women’s empowerment; the “Psychological, social and health treatment measure” that deals with addressing complications related to long-term psychological effects on abused children and their families; and the “Digital and media measure”, which elaborates on methods of providing safe digital education in the Sultanate of Oman with the prime objective of protecting children against online exploitation.