المملكة: Safety, well-being, and the prohibition of violence and exploitation… Approval of the national policy for child protection in educational institutions
The Council of Ministers approved the National Policy for Child Protection in Educational Institutions, with the aim of consolidating A safe educational environment that promotes children’s rights and protects them from various forms of abuse or neglect within educational institutions, in line with national systems and international agreements related to children’s rights.
The policy aims to strengthen the child protection system in Education sector, ensuring the provision of a healthy and safe educational environment that allows children to learn and grow within a framework that preserves their dignity, safeguards their rights, and enhances their psychological and physical well-being, while establishing an institutional culture based on prevention and early intervention in the event of suspicion of any form of abuse.
Child protection is a top priority
The national policy for child protection in educational institutions is based on a set of basic principles that form the general framework for its implementation, the most important of which is considering child protection as a top priority in all procedures and practices within educational institutions.
The policy emphasizes commitment to professional values in Dealing with children, ensuring their safety and protecting them from any harm they may be exposed to within the educational environment, whether by employees of the educational institution, colleagues, or any other party.
The principles also include verifying the backgrounds of workers in educational institutions, including examining criminal records and checking personal references, which contributes to enhancing safety standards within the educational environment.
The policy stipulates the importance of providing the necessary training for workers in educational institutions on issues of child safety and rights, including identifying On the signs of child abuse and ways to deal with it in a professional manner that ensures the child’s protection and safety.
The policy encourages all individuals dealing with children within educational institutions to report any suspected case of child abuse or harm, through clear, safe and confidential reporting channels, which enhances the culture of early reporting and rapid intervention.
Immediate response mechanisms
Among the principles emphasized by the policy is the immediate response of the competent authorities to any report related to child abuse, which allows early intervention and prevents Without exacerbating or continuing the problems.
The policy stresses the importance of cooperation with parents and the local community to ensure the protection of children, while providing open and continuous channels of communication with families to listen to their observations and participate in decisions related to the safety of their children within educational institutions.
In this context, the policy stressed the need to maintain the confidentiality of information related to cases of child abuse, and to deal with it with high sensitivity and in accordance with the laws and regulations, ensuring the protection of the privacy of children and their families.
A safe educational environment. And healthy
The National Child Protection Policy in educational institutions aims to provide a safe and healthy educational environment that allows children to learn and grow properly, while ensuring respect for their rights as stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the Kingdom has acceded.
The policy seeks to protect children from various forms of violence or exploitation within educational institutions, in a way that enhances the state’s commitment to international treaties and agreements related to the rights of the child.
The policy also works to raise the level of transparency and accountability within educational institutions by establishing clear mechanisms for reporting cases of abuse or exploitation. Exploitation, which contributes to building a society that pays great attention to the safety and rights of the child.
Types and forms of child abuse
The policy addressed the definition of the types of abuse that the child may be exposed to, based on what was stated in the list of the child rights system, where abuse includes every form of assault, exploitation, or threat to which the child may be exposed.
This abuse includes physical abuse, which is the exposure of the child to harm or physical assault, in addition to Psychological abuse resulting from ill-treatment that may lead to psychological or health damage.
Sexual abuse includes any type of sexual assault or exploitation of a child, in addition to neglect, which consists of not providing the child’s basic needs or failing to meet them.
The concept of neglect extends to include physical, health, emotional, psychological, educational, educational, intellectual, social, cultural, and security needs.
The policy includes referring to discrimination against children with disabilities or assaulting them physically, mentally, or Materially, or abusing or exploiting them in any way.
Child protection is a shared responsibility
The policy stressed that protecting children, developing their skills, and enhancing their cognitive abilities is a shared responsibility that falls on various parties, including educational institutions, parents, competent authorities, and society as a whole.
The Ministry of Education stressed its full commitment to promoting the well-being of children, ensuring their safety and respecting their dignity, and working to provide an enjoyable and safe educational environment for all children without any racial, religious, social, health, or discrimination. Physical.
Strategic objectives for child protection
The national policy for child protection in educational institutions seeks to achieve a set of strategic objectives, the most prominent of which is ensuring the implementation of the necessary mechanisms and procedures to protect children within educational institutions in accordance with national regulations and international agreements.
It also aims to define the responsibilities and duties of all parties concerned with child protection, including teachers, administrators, parents, service providers and competent authorities.
Among the objectives is also to provide a safe educational environment that protects children from any threat that may affect their physical or safety. Psychological, intellectual or moral.
The policy stresses the necessity of taking all measures to ensure the security and safety of children within educational facilities, including the application of safety standards in educational buildings and the prevention of risks such as fires or construction problems.
The policy also seeks to empower children with their educational rights and their right to protection in accordance with what is stipulated in national systems, most notably the child protection system and its executive regulations.
A unified mechanism for reporting violations
Among the most prominent of its contents are The policy establishes a clear and unified mechanism for reporting and submitting complaints in cases of suspected child abuse or violation of their rights within educational institutions or their facilities or on school buses.
The reporting mechanism includes external activities organized by the Ministry of Education, ensuring the provision of a comprehensive umbrella of protection for children in all environments related to the educational process.
The policy also emphasizes the importance of providing the necessary care for children who are exposed to any form of abuse or neglect, while ensuring the provision of appropriate psychological and social support to them.
Enhancing School well-being and the values of tolerance
The policy works to enhance the school well-being of children within educational institutions, and to establish a culture of respect, tolerance, and acceptance of individual differences among students, whether physical, health, or sensory.
It seeks to qualify and develop employees of educational institutions in the field of child protection, through specialized training programs that raise the level of awareness of mechanisms for protecting children and dealing with cases of abuse.
The objectives of the policy also include enhancing coordination between concerned parties to ensure the protection of the rights of all children within institutions. Educational.
Data protection and confidentiality of information
The policy stresses the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of information related to children who are exposed to any form of abuse or neglect, while ensuring the protection of their data and providing them with the necessary care by specialized cadres that take into account the child’s needs and the characteristics of his age.
- For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter
