“People were now more aware”: Dubai Police responded to 539 child abuse cases in 2022

 

Dubai Police received 539 cases of child abuse last year, which is more than double the number of cases reported in 2021. However, Major General Dr Mohammad Abdullah Al Murr, director of the Women and Children Protection Department, believes that greater awareness among people has led to an increase in the number of cases being reported. He attributed this to a number of initiatives and campaigns launched by the department in bringing greater awareness in society about the importance of seeking help if a child encounters abuse.

One such campaign was the ‘Our Children are Our Responsibility’ campaign, launched by Dubai Police on World Children’s Day in November. The campaign saw more than 100 children and their families marching to bring greater awareness to child rights. Maj Gen Al Murr emphasized the importance of community responsibility and underscored Dubai Police’s zero tolerance for abusers of children’s rights.

It is alarming to note that most abusers in the reported cases were either close relatives or even immediate family members. However, police in the UAE received greater powers of arrest in 2016 under improved child protection laws, following a case involving an eight-year-old Emirati girl who was tortured to death by her father and his girlfriend. Efforts are also being made to train children and students to become ambassadors of safety in their community, with Fatima Al Beloushi, head of the Safety Ambassadors Council at Dubai Police, leading the initiative.