By Fazeena Saleem
If you suspect a child is being harmed, reporting your suspicions may protect the child and get help for the family. Any person can report suspicions of child abuse and neglect by calling the hotline 919, and a social worker at the Qatar Foundation for Child and Woman Protection (QFCWP) would attend to the case.
Sudden changes in the behaviour or school performance of a child should be given special attention by the parents as they could be the result of abuse, and it’s essential to seek professional help.
“We attend to any type of abuse. Sexual abuse, beating or negligence -- we attend to any case we receive,” says Dr Salah Al Mannai, research expert at QFCWP.
“A social worker will speak and take the information, and depending on the seriousness of the case, the social worker will call the police,” he added.
The QFCWP receives complaints against Qataris and non Qataris. The majority of children are ill treated by their parents, friends or housemaids, or at school.
“We follow up all cases that we receive. We follow up with the parents, relatives, police and the judge as some cases go to prosecution,” says Dr Al Mannai.
Last year alone, QFCWP refereed 120 cases to Hamad General Hospital, and the centre has come across 566 cases at Hamad Medical Corporation of people seeking medical assistance. In all, QFCWP has received 714 cases of child abuse, most of them involving physical or sexual abuse.
Incidents of psychological abuse of children are rarely reported, although such abuse can have a huge impact on a child’s life, according to Dr Al Mannai.Psychological abuse of children can seriously interfere with their cognitive, emotional, psychological and social development, and Dr Al Mannai urges parents to pay special attention to their children’s behaviour.
Psychological abuse may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Some parents may emotionally and psychologically harm their children because of stress, poor parenting skills, social isolation and lack of available resources or inappropriate expectations from their children. They may also emotionally abuse their children because they themselves were emotionally abused in childhood.
“If a child is abused psychologically or in any other form, it can later affect their life, their family and even society,” said Dr Al Mannai.
“It’s very important parents should be aware about child abuse. They should focus on children and their behaviour. We can’t prevent child abuse by a rule, but people should be aware of it and about its dangers,” he added.
As awareness can prevent child abuse, QFCWP has taken steps to break the silence about the phenomenon. It works to create awareness among parents, healthcare professionals and security officials, and in educational institutions, through lectures, workshops and training programmes.
If a complaint is made on QFCWP’s hotline, a social worker refers the case to the police, Hamad Medical Corporation or for family consultation, according to the nature of the case.
Later, a social worker interviews the victim to record information related to the case and the possible means to communicate with the people concerned.
The QFCWP also provides legal assistance, if needed.
It also provides shelter to female victims aged under 18 years and boys aged under 13 years if they are exposed to violence and there is no one to protect them. However, this requires approval from Public Prosecution.
QFCWP has an office at Hamad Medical Corporation and it can be contacted on 44391443 and 55907056. Its office at the Capital Police Station can be contacted by calling 44521117 or 55597328.
