MUSCAT: The Sultanate represented by the Ministry of Social Development marks the Gulf Child Day (GCD) which falls on January 15th every year.
This celebration manifests itself through the Sultanate’s attention to children and childhood since early years of childhood and continues through the later stages in order to build an Omani man who is the centre of development and its purpose. The Sultanate has seen since the blessed Renaissance led by His Majesty the Sultan great interest in children and the family, and the government works hard to provide full care for these elements.
This interest is shown in the establishment Child Care Centre, in collaboration with the private sector in recognition of their right to citizenship that is guaranteed by the Basic Law of the State and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Sultanate is keen on activating this occasion and to highlight the importance of children’s preparation, physically, psychologically and morally, their personality development, preparing them for future, strengthen the linkages and relationships between them in order to instil the concepts that stem from the traditions of the Gulf society and urge to hold on to the Gulf identity.
The Sultanate has been providing all forms of support, rehabilitation, and care for children through the establishment of programmes that highlight ways that protect them from all forms of violence and abuse, and to clarify the proper mechanism to deal with victims of domestic violence to these children.
The Ministry of Social Development developed preventive plans and programmes and curative care, in cooperation with the competent authorities, including receiving and addressing complaints and reports from individuals and government, civil and private authorities about any violations of the rights of children and cases of their exposure to violence, exploitation or abuse.
The ministry has also conducted a study and follow-up of cases of children exposed to violence, exploitation or abuse.
Shaikh Dr Yahya bin Mohammed al Hinai, Director-General of the Directorate-General of Family Development, at Ministry of Social Development said that the Sultanate’s celebration of the GCD is part of childhood development, pointing out that the children in the GCC countries, represent a large proportion of the population and that children represent 42 per cent of the total population of the Sultanate.
He said in a statement to ONA that the Sultanate focuses on this category by achieving several key objectives, including the creation of national legislation and strategies that support the development of children in general, noting that the Child Law, promulgated by Royal Decree No (22/2014) gave a number of social, civil, educational, cultural and economic rights for children.
Shaikh Dr Al Hinai stressed that these rights are mandatory and are part of the legal system of the Sultanate, and achieving the principle of legislation according to the Basic Law of the State, adding that law included the protection of children from abuse and various legal accountabilities and measures.
He pointed out that the ministry has prepared two strategies concerning the development of childhood, the first concerns the ministry and includes social work strategy which revolves around the family and cares for early childhood and provide institutions dealing with childhood.
The second strategy is National Children Strategy, which develops childhood through a number of topics, including survival, development, education, capacity development, protection and participation, stressing that these two strategies and legislation are in the interest of the development of childhood that are provide by governmental and private institutions. — ONA
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