Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators, Sharjah Children Parliament (organised by Sharjah Children) and Sharjah Youth Parliament (organised by Sharjah Youth and Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah) will convene virtually to hold a joint session on child abuse on Wednesday, April 22.

The discussion will be held with the participation of 60 members of Sharjah Youth Parliament in the closing session of its 7th cycle, and 58 members of Sharjah Children Parliament in the closing session of its 16th cycle. The discussion will tackle topics related to all forms of child abuse, including physical and emotional abuse children may face at school, home or in society.

The session will host guest speakers HE Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police; Dr. Jassim Khalil Mirza, Chairman of Sharjah Social Workers Association; HE Fawzia Hassan Ghareeb, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Operations Sector at the Ministry of Education; and HE Faisal Al Shimmari, Founder and Chairman of Emirates Child Protection Association (ECPA). Members of Rubu‘ Qarn’s Board of Trustees, heads of Sharjah’s government departments and members of the Consultative Council of Sharjah, will also be in attendance.

Fatima Mohammed Musharbek, Chairperson of the Higher Committee for the 7th Sharjah Youth Parliament, and Acting Director of Sharjah Youth, said: “We are proud to organise this first-of-its-kind virtual parliamentary session involving the UAE’s children and youth. This composite platform which will hear from over 100 young members of our society, is in line with our vision to initiate integrated programmes under Rubu’ Qarn Foundation’s umbrella.”

Musharbek underlined the importance of enabling children and youth to voice their opinions and ideas on ways to tackle an issue that affects them directly, saying they are the most fitting community representatives of their generation. She added that the discussion will shine light on their perception of the matter and what initiatives they believe can be initiated to prevent child abuse.

Musharbek went on to say that the focus of the session aligns with the theme of Sharjah Youth’s 7th cycle, ‘Leadership through Community Service’, explaining that in order to turn the young generations into future leaders, it is necessary to discuss their most pressing challenges and find effective solutions. Finally, she thanked all participating Sharjah officials for their endorsement.

Sheikha Aisha Khalid Al Qasimi, Director of Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah (SYL), an affiliate of Rubu’ Qarn Foundation, said: “This remote session furthers Sharjah Youth Parliament’s commitment to provide young generations with a platform to offer their opinion and suggestions on an important subject, despite the exceptional circumstances we are currently facing. A video conferencing platform is being used for this session as we make every effort to abide by all precautionary measures being taken by the UAE government to curb the spread of the coronavirus, while ensuring continuity of our activities to benefit the nation’s youth and children.”

“Our parliamentary programmes aim to hone our members’ dialogue skills and enable them voice their opinions and ideas to top government officials. These discussions have always played a key role in confidence building, and will aid the development of a new generation of female leaders for our nation,” she added.

Aysha Ali Al Kaabi, Acting Director of Sharjah Children said: “This is the first time both children and youth parliaments are convening a joint session, remotely. We appreciate Rubu‘ Qarn’s efforts in ensuring young generations an opportunity to discuss issues of common interest, despite current challenges.”

“We look forward to a session that will benefit each participant, and hope effective solutions for this prevalent social problem are highlighted. Ultimately, these parliamentary sessions emphasise the need to nurture children’s ability to freely express their views to officials and older peers, in line with Sharjah’s vision to empower the younger generations to become responsible and actively contributing citizens,” she added.

Last Saturday, members of both parliaments held a preparatory meeting remotely to review the forthcoming session’s key topics and questions.