Sharjah 24: During a conversation on the Direct Line programme, Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, confirmed that the Emirate of Sharjah prioritises families, with children being a crucial part of all these families, as directed by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

She stressed that the care and protection of the children, as well as the safety of the family as a whole, must be a top priority for all Sharjah organisations.

She went over the background and goals of the Kanaf Child's Home Centre in Sharjah, the first of its kind in the country and the region. The centre was opened in November 2023 to accommodate children of all nationalities who had been victims of physical and sexual abuse, following the directives of Her Highness and under the supervision of the Child Safety Department in the Emirate of Sharjah.

It aspires to alleviate the financial, emotional, and social strains on children and their families by coordinating the efforts of professionals in the fields of law, psychology, and social work.

In her remarks on Kanaf's success in reducing the bureaucracy related to child abuse cases, Sheikha Jawaher said: "There were many experiences in the Emirati society in dealing with children, but we wanted through Kanaf to shorten the procedures and make them in one house to spare children the negatives of long procedures distributed between entities and bodies, and to address the child in an entirely confidential manner, where the report is forwarded to the Department of Social Services and the case is transferred to Kanaf.

This ensures that all the appropriate authorities convene in one place to manage the case in a child-friendly environment, where the child is not interrogated more than once in a room that gathers the child specialist, and where there aren't too many people around to cause the child distress and fear.

For children who are unable to verbalise their experiences, there are expressive means through games designed for this purpose," Her Highness said. She added, "We have made sure that all facilities are permanently monitored by the administration through cameras, and there is a special room for forensic medicine. Additionally, there are means to represent family members and indicate who committed the abuse, and others to represent body parts and help to determine where it is.

In reaction to parents' reluctance to involve "Kanaf" and their preference for solving problems at home, she explained that every child has a legal guardian who protects them from the courts, that they get treatment to ensure their safety when they return home, and that "Kanaf" continues to monitor the case even after treatment comes to an end.

She continued by saying that such treatment is crucial for community safety and the well-being of all children, given that Kanaf handles all incidents of sexual or physical abuse against children.

Children may be victims of abuse in many settings, including homes, classrooms, and even on the streets, as Her Highness pointed out. "Assaults can come from people we do not expect evil from" was another point she underscored.

"We welcome everyone to Kanaf and handle the children anonymously according to their numbers to preserve their privacy. In light of the prevalent detrimental attitudes that might have an impact on families and children, we are now involved in many efforts that will hopefully ensure the safety of children in the future. Anyone paying attention should know this.

Nowadays, mothers are expected to leave their children for long periods of time; therefore, it's crucial for them to be extra cautious. Once again, our devoted brothers and sisters at Kanaf hear us as we stress the importance of raising awareness over offering immediate medical assistance.

According to her, Kanaf is not a shelter, and it is the responsibility of social services to determine if an individual needs to be protected; the two organisations collaborate on this matter.

Sheikha Jawaher remarked, "I've been involved with Kanaf from the start, with the backing and assistance of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah," when asked what makes Kanaf unique from other efforts comparable to it. When you begin a project like this, you begin to care about each child as if they were your own, and you start to stress out over their physical and mental well-being. In order to respect the family's and child's right to privacy, however, personnel working on this project must be honest with them.

The United Arab Emirates and the Emirate of Sharjah deserve a secure and healthy society, and Her Highness hoped that their efforts to support families and children would bear fruit in that direction. 

By stressing the need to safeguard children's mental health from both school and home routines, we will continue to strive for our work to be comprehensive for families. To us, it is more important to instil in our children the values of our religion and culture than to expose them to alien ideas. The children we raise now will shape our culture and our future; therefore, it's imperative that they are strong, independent thinkers who can tell yes from no. The youngest member of the family, the youngster, is always given priority in this home.