NEW YORK: Kuwait reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing mental health care for children and adolescents through comprehensive legislation and programs. This came in a speech by Kuwait’s Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Faisal Al-Enezi at an event held at the organization’s headquarters on the mental health of children and adolescents.

In the context of seeking to achieve better mental health for children and adolescents, Al-Enezi said that Kuwait issued a law in 2019 for mental health that was not limited to treatment only but included correction and rehabilitation. He added that this law authorizes the Ministry of Health to establish rehabilitation centers and grant licenses to private centers to support mental health patients. Kuwait also launched the Kuwait National Child Protection Program Initiative in 2016 to protect children and adolescents from abuse and neglect, providing a framework for social and therapeutic rehabilitation services and the necessary support, moral guidance, and social counseling to vulnerable children.

Al-Enezi added that Kuwait’s government had established a hotline to protect anonymous children in line with Kuwaiti Child Rights Law No. 21/2015, which serves as a channel for investigating cases of child abuse and neglect in the six governorates of Kuwait. Kuwait also launched the Child Protection Office of the Ministry of Health, which was opened under the auspices of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs to deal with complaints related to children at risk. Al-Enezi stated that the center also conducts comprehensive assessments of children’s well-being and provides health and psychological treatment and rehabilitation services to affected family members.

Al-Enezi pointed out that Kuwait’s continued efforts to strengthen family protection and mental health guidelines are an investment in the collective future of the world. Kuwait participated in organizing this event in cooperation with the permanent delegations of Qatar, Canada, Romania, Indonesia, and Mexico, and in coordination with the World Health Organization as well as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). — KUNA