Dubai Police and Community Development enhance awareness about protecting senior citizens

The Dubai Police General Command, represented by the Child and Women’s Protection Department in the General Department of Human Rights, and in partnership with the Community Development Authority in Dubai, organized an awareness forum in conjunction with the “Year of the Family” and the global celebration of awareness of elder abuse at Majlis Al Warqa, with the aim of enhancing awareness of the rights of senior citizens and the elderly and establishing a culture of respecting and protecting them.

Director of the General Department of Human Rights at Dubai Police, Brigadier General Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Shaer, stressed that protecting senior citizens and the elderly represents a national priority that reflects the UAE’s approach to preserving human dignity and enhancing the quality of life, noting that organizing the forum is consistent with government directions aimed at establishing a culture of respect and care for this group and enhancing its position in society.

For her part, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment Sector at the Community Development Authority in Dubai, Maitha Al Shamsi, stressed that protecting senior citizens is not limited to providing care and services, but rather includes building an integrated community system that ensures their effective participation and benefiting from their experiences and knowledge as they are essential partners in the development process.

She added that the Authority is working to develop policies and initiatives that enhance the quality of life of senior citizens and consolidate their status and role in transferring values ​​and experiences between generations, in cooperation with its strategic partners, in line with the objectives of the “Dubai Social Agenda 33.”

The forum included two main axes. The first dealt with the protection of the elderly within the framework of international legislation and was presented by the Director of the Child and Women’s Protection Department in the General Department of Human Rights at Dubai Police, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Ali Mohammed Juma Al Matroushi, while the second axis dealt with the protection of senior citizens and the elderly and was presented by the Head of the Senior Citizens Protection Department at the Community Development Authority, Fatima Atiq Al-Sabousi.

Al Matrooshi stressed that protecting senior citizens and the elderly is a shared societal and national responsibility that requires joint efforts to spread awareness of their rights and introduce the various forms of abuse to which they may be exposed and ways to prevent it, noting that the UAE has paid great attention to this group through an integrated system of legislation, policies and initiatives that guarantee them a decent and safe life.

In turn, Fatima Al-Sabousi stressed that protecting senior citizens and the elderly represents a shared societal responsibility that requires enhancing awareness of their rights and establishing a culture of respecting them and appreciating their contributions to building society, noting the authority’s keenness to develop initiatives and services that support their quality of life and enhance their integration and active participation in society.