Children arevulnerable and can fall victim to physical or verbal harm, especially if familyconditions are harsh or insecure. So many governments in the world have issuedlegal regulations and legislations to protect the little ones.
Kuwait issued lawnumber 21 / 2015 for protecting the rights of the child, such as education,healthcare, housing, culture and protection from assaults. This law protectsboth healthy children and those with special needs, and has been activated byseveral agencies, including the ministry of interior, the ministry of socialaffairs and the ministry of health.
The law alsostipulates that children should not be used for work that does not suit theirage, travel without the permission of their guardians, or be prevented fromseeing either of their parents in the event of divorce. I think the aim of suchdetails in the law is to ensure that no single entity can manipulate a child'slife or their wishes.
The governmentalso established the child protection department of the ministry of health,which launched hotline 147 to report any cases of child abuse. The departmenthas the authority to inform the ministry of the interior and the ministry ofsocial affairs, which have the authority to take measures against perpetrators.
With the issuanceof this law, some claimed it encouraged the child to rebel and that spankingmight be beneficial for them. But these protesters did not accept the fact thatbeating a child causes psychologically-devastating damage in the long run,leading them to lose their personality and self-confidence as well. The natureof civil society today has changed from the nature of society 100 years ago.
For example, inthe past teachers beating students was normal and acceptable by parents andchildren, who could not object because they would be exposed to more harm. Butthis situation has changed today and the child has the right to reject corporalpunishment, and beating in schools is forbidden. I agree with this becausebeating a child is a crime and no one should be allowed to harm a young childfor any reason.
Last year, Kuwaitaccomplished a good achievement by obtaining a prize from the InternationalChild Protection Team of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuseand Neglect (ISPCAN) for its efforts to support children's rights.
I think thatraising awareness for children is the right starting point to tackle thisglobal problem, as the child must be aware from the elementary stage of hisphysical rights and his dignity and that no one has the right to be subjectedto abuse, and that there are legal bodies that are ready to help and protectthem from aggressors. So the role of the school is very important.
I believe thatstricter laws on child abuse must be implemented. In Kuwait, there are multipleexpatriate communities of different nationalities, whether Arab or foreign, soI hope that these groups will make their peers aware of this law, becauseviolence is not related to a specific nationality, and this is something thatwill happen and we need mutual efforts to stop it .
I believe thechild law represents an important legal and social event in Kuwait, as thechild protection department has the power to transfer complaints which itreceives via the hotline directly to the ministry of interior to intervene, aswell as maintain the confidentiality of reports, which was not previouslypossible.
By Muna Al-Fuzai
muna@kuwaittimes.net