The Child Safety Campaign, an initiative by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, recently organised an awareness programme for visitors of the Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF) held by FUNN at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre (JRCC). The aim of the campaign is to protect children in the UAE and provide them with a stable and secure environment.

The campaign team received the children as they arrived at SICFF to attend film screenings, and distributed awareness kits to them. The kits contained gifts as well as pamphlets designed to increase children’s awareness of the types of dangers they may face. The team presented a detailed explanation of the role of the campaign to the children, which is geared towards protecting them, acquainting them with their basic rights, and keeping them safe from any physical or psychological harm.

Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei, Head of the Organising Committee of the Child Safety Campaign 2015, expressed her delight with the children’s experience with the campaign. She emphasised the campaign management’s ardent desire to cooperate with all organisations that target children, within the framework of the vision of HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah. As the Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Sheikha Jawaher aims to protect children and promote family cohesiveness.

Al Yafei stressed that their participation in SICFF allowed them to meet children directly, introduce the campaign to them based on their age groups, and address the differences between males and females. They also informed children about the basic skills they need to defend themselves and how to report any abuse or aggression they may receive from adults.

The Head of the Organising Committee also indicated that the campaign will distribute 5,000 awareness kits to children and young students in Sharjah this year. It will also provide training through workshops and awareness programmes based on scientific criteria that focus on both psychological and social aspects and encourage children to say ‘NO’ when they are subjected to any abuse.

Children conveyed their happiness and enjoyment while listening to the explanations of certain safety concepts that protect their intellectual and physical rights. This explanation aimed to enlighten and stimulate them via a specific approach that is compatible with their level of understanding and comprehension.

Launched in 2015, the Child Safety Campaign includes awareness programmes that target children from the kindergarten up to the 3rd grade, as well as their parents. To achieve this, the campaign organises many programmes and workshops in cooperation with supporting agencies in order to secure safe environments for children, enhance awareness about children’s rights, communicate with them, and encourage them to acquire cognitive, behavioural and kinetic skills that contribute to their care and safety.

Numerous agencies are participating in the Child Safety Campaign 2015 and are working diligently to educate children. Seventeen agencies have participated in the campaign this year, while the events and workshops organised thus far total 182 out of 260 overall events revolving around teaching safety awareness to children and their families.