The virtual coordination meeting between MoI and the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood addressed a number of topics related to child protection from abuse and exploitation over the internet, and through  the MoI smart system.  

The virtual meeting was attended by HE Reem bint Abdullah al Fallassi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the Director General of the International Affairs Office, the Deputy Director General of the MoI Center for child protection, the head of the prevention, awareness and guidance department, the head of the investigation department, social support staff, and members of the Emirati Children’s Parliament. 

The Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood emphasized the need to accompany the UAE vision, the guidelines and aspirations of the visionary leadership, to achieve the Emirati Children’s parliament goals. She underlined the role of parents in fostering children’s presence and self-confidence, as well as reporting any abuse. There is also a need to focus on awareness campaigns targeting parents, and their role in keeping children safe and monitoring them constantly. 

The Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood addressed members of the Emirati Children’s parliament underlining the importance of their role in raising awareness among children through their parliament, their role in introducing children to their rights and obligations, and how to react in case of abuse. It is imperative to introduce them to reporting channels, related to their protection on the MoI child protection smart system launched by the MoI center for their protection and the protection of all children in the UAE. 

During the meeting, the child protection smart system was presented. The system includes ways to report child abuse, through a hotline, or electronically through the Center for Child Protection website, and the smart application Himayati. The Himayati app, the first app of its kind dedicated to reporting child abuse, was showcased. It was developed to receive child abuse reports, distribute reports to command rooms relative to social support, investigation and the Child Protection Center for follow-up and coordination. 

Members of the Emirati Children’s parliament participated in the meeting. They spoke of social media risks on young children, the posting of some inappropriate ads and how these can be countered. They submitted suggestions to that effect. They also touched on expanding app features to include children with determination.