ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Saturday, February 20th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

The Ministry of Interior has endeavored to launch the 116111 hotline, to provide a safety net to protect children. The hotline is part of  an integrated system designed to facilitate reporting of child abuse cases by phone or via the “Hemayati” smart phone application (which means ‘protect me’ in English). Reports may also be made via the MoI Child Protection Center’s website. This initiative reflects the MoI’s commitment to children’s safety and security, and reflects the UAE vision, which gives top priority to children, in terms of care and attention, because children are the pillars of the future.

Major General Dr. Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of HH Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Child Protection at the Ministry of Interior said that the MoI has launched the toll-free (116111) hotline to receive  reports of child abuse cases. He confirmed that through this service, the Ministry seeks further cooperation with all segments of society and highlighted the importance of reporting any cases of abuse that children might face, as this is an important step to prevent or stop any attempts to harm children. He confirmed that the Center will immediately provide advice and support and will take the necessary action in this matter. “The Hotline is the first communication channel to allow community members to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect, in order to provide safety, security and protection for all children in the UAE,” he said.

Major General Al Nuaimi asserted that the UAE community has become more aware of child protection issues, which is evident in the eagerness to communicate with the police to report cases of abuse or neglect incidents faced by children from their parents or care givers. He called upon community members to communicate with the police to report any suspected child abuse incident, because this constitutes a legal obligation. He also urged them to interact with awareness campaigns related to protection of children from abuse or neglect.

New Initiatives

The MoI Child Protection Center will be implementing a number of new initiatives in the upcoming period, focused on enhancing cooperation with partners at the different ministries and concerned authorities, in order to acquaint community members from all backgrounds and especially children, with the hotline for child protection, its mission and goals. To this end, the toll-free hotline number (116111) has been added to the list of essential and important contact numbers in the UAE and provided to Arab and foreign embassies in order to acquaint the various communities residing in the UAE with the hotline and the e-reporting service.  

The initiatives also aim at promoting the hotline by posting or broadcasting advertisements to children in play areas and distributing promotional gifts bearing the hotline’s logo. The hotline will also be added to the schools’ training curricula and introduced via social media. Plans are currently underway to organize workshops for students of all educational stages to acquaint them with the hotline and the e-reporting service.

E-Reporting Service

The hotline for Child Protection is a federal helpline to facilitate reporting cases of child abuse by phone in coordination with major partners such as the Child Protection Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs; the hotline allocated by the Community Development Authority in Dubai; the child abuse helpline at the Sharjah Social Services Department; the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children; EWAA Center in Abu Dhabi, and other concerned parties at the countrywide level. The E--Reporting Service was also created on the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centre’s website on moi-cpc.gov.ae, based on the fact that topics related to child protection require privacy, and that some entities prefer reporting in writing instead of calling it in, or talking to others about it. Dozens of reports have been received from children, adults and teachers and from community members from different backgrounds and nationalities; and measures were taken accordingly.

500 Calls since the Service’s Inauguration

The hotline is designed to facilitate reporting of child abuse cases and any incidence of suspected child abuse or neglect by phone, and to ensure their protection from potential risks. Reports are received from all society segments. Since the launch, more than 500 calls were received by the hotline, mostly to inquire about the service and to seek consultation in the field of child protection. A specialized and qualified team was trained to handle such cases and refer them to the concerned authorities to take the necessary action, while ensuring the highest levels of privacy, confidentiality in the assessment of cases. All cases that require urgent response are reported to the Operations Room in the relevant area of jurisdiction to provide the required support as fast as possible, while cases that require investigation and social and psychological support are referred to the Social Support Centers statewide.

For more information about:

The Ministry of Interior, please click HERE

Abu Dhabi Police, please click HERE

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-666-4891

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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