The Ministry of Education is launching its second National Bullying
Prevention Week campaign, running from 18 to 24 November 2018 and in
conjunction with World Children’s Day, to equip students, educators and parents
in the UAE with the skills needed to address bullying. The campaign is in
collaboration with the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and in
partnership with more than 25 local and federal entities.
The campaign has been organized under
the patronage of H.H Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General
Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and
President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and UAE
Ministers. H.H Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak commented: “The second
National Bullying Prevention Week will continue our work in preventing bullying
across schools in the UAE, ensuring all children’s right to a quality education
and protection against all forms of violence. We are encouraging the
participation of children in this campaign in order to raise their sense of
responsibility by actively expressing themselves when bullying occurs.”
Throughout the week, trained educators and consultants will visit public
and private schools to facilitate a number of workshops, lectures and awareness
events regarding the actions which can be taken when bullying is encountered in
schools and the community. Workshops and lectures will be complemented by social
media, cinema and TV advertising campaigns to share the strategies which
students and their parents can follow when they encounter bullying. A
significant focus of the campaign will also be allocated to raising awareness
around how to help students to stop bullying others.
Due to the critical role parents, educators, family members, adults and
the community play in fighting bullying, it’s key to let them know that each
individual that witnesses or is aware of a bullying incident has a social
responsibility to speak up, intervene, show solidarity with the victim or even
report to the concerned authorities if necessary. The Ministry calls on the
community to be aware of how to identify if someone is being bullied, how they
should intervene to break the cycle of bullying, and how to provide support and
care to the victims to ensure a safe and bullying free learning environment.
During the campaign, the Ministry along with its partners will demonstrate
effective interventions that have proven to be successful in preventing or
resolving bullying.
As part of the campaign’s activities, four anti-bullying animated films have been
developed and will be screened across the UAE. The films, each around one
minute in duration, demonstrate various bullying scenarios and the methods
parents can adopt to deal with the situation. In addition, activations will be
organized at public and private schools around the UAE during the week to
engage children, emphasizing the virtue of ‘kindness’ as an alternative to
bullying.
To further raise awareness, the National
Bullying Prevention Week campaign will hold a special event at Global Village
on 22 November 6:00pm – 7.00pm where children, their parents and the general
public can view the anti-bullying animated films, meet characters from the
campaign and experience various anti-bullying activations.
Commenting on the continuing initiative,
Minister of State for General Education, H.E. Jameela Salem Al Muhairi said: “The
activities surrounding the second National Bullying Prevention Week highlight
our common values and the efforts the Ministry is making to eliminate bullying
across the UAE. By providing students and parents with the tools to prevent,
identify, and deal with bullying we can ensure that our schools are considered
a safe place by all students, and where their emotional development and
educational performance flourish. Accessibility to the initiative, in the form
of a relatable character like Abood or tools such as social media and cinema
advertising, ultimately help us reach more students and parents with this
important information. Studies from around the world have proven the negative
long-term effects of bullying and the disruption it causes to a child’s
education, it is important we do all we can to prevent bullying from occurring
in the first instance.”
In addition to the Ministry of Education and Supreme Council for
Motherhood and Childhood, National Bullying Prevention Week is presented in
partnership with the National Program for Happiness & Wellbeing, Sharjah
Social Services Department, Ministry of Community Development, Dubai Foundation
For Women & Children, Sharjah Education Council, Ministry of Culture and
Knowledge Development, Ministry of Health and Prevention, United Arab Emirates
University, Department of Education and Knowledge Abu Dhabi, Dubai Health
Authority (DHA), Emirates Youth Council,
Supreme Council of Family Affairs, Dubai Police, Abu Dhabi Media and
Dubai Media Incorporated and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA),
Abu Dhabi Health Authority, Social Support Centre at Ajman Police, University of
Sharjah, General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments and the Community
Development Authority of Dubai.
20/11/2018