(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Qatar Social Work Foundation (QSWF) will celebrate Arab Child Day from today till Sunday.
Arab Child Day is celebrated on the same day annually on the death anniversary of the Palestinian child Mohamed al-Durrah who was killed by Israeli occupation forces on September 30, 2000.
On this occasion, different activities, events and workshops are held yearly which reflects the different existing Arab cultures to introduce it to the Qatari society, to bring views closer, strengthen coexistence and understanding with children of the world, and highlight the importance of Arab unity and cohesion.
The celebrations at QSWF are organised by Dhreima Qatar Orphan Foundation in partnership with protection and rehabilitation centre Aman, family consultation centre Wifaq, Shafallah Center and Best Buddies Qatar.
The celebrations include many activities including a play, shows from the participating countries, where the Arab community schools are participating to present shows.
The event aims to introduce the Arab identities and cultures to the society and merge the targeted children categories to the centres affiliated with QSWF, where it is also a good opportunity to raise awareness on child rights.
Child rights include the right to survival, development, progression, protection against harmful effects, prevention from mistreatment and attempts to exploit them in any form and guarantee their full participation in the family, social life and culture.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child signed and agreed upon in 1989 states the rights of each child should be respected without discrimination of any kind, the best interests of the child should be the primary consideration in all actions concerning children, children have the right to express their views freely and the views of the child should be taken into consideration, the child right to accessible healthcare, education, civil, social and legal services directly related to the child.
Specifying a day to celebrate the Arab child is considered an important matter and an incentive towards continuous hard work to create an appropriate environment for the upcoming generations.
It is important to identify their problems, needs and obstacles they face and work on diminishing them in order to give the Arab child the opportunity to be raised in the best circumstances that provides him education and health, and helps him to develop and create.
A child is considered the initiator of a promising society, hence countries and governments care about the children.
The State of Qatar paid attention to children and focused on their role in the society as they are key to development and progress in the future.
Through Qatar National Vision 2030 which aims to make Qatar a developed state that is able to achieve sustainable development and to ensure its peoples well being generation after the other, children are the men and women of the future hence it works on providing all required support to this age group.
The celebration comes at a time when the State of Qatar has proved to everyone that it has made children its main focus, especially in the education field, due to its vital role in children's development and enables them to recognise their rights and turning them into decision makers.
The State of Qatar gives importance to education in all its stages starting with nursery to university levels, where all governmental institutes give great attention to children and puts all possibilities to develop education which is considered a foundation for success.
Qatari schools and universities compete with their equivalents in developed countries, where Qatar also launched many initiatives such as 'Educate A Child which aims to provide high quality primary education to all the children around the world, not only in Qatar.
The State of Qatar is among the best world countries in terms of caring for children even before birth.
The attention the state pays to children is evident in its keenness on offering health programmes on awareness and guidance for parents before birth; health checks, vaccinations for children and attention to the mothers who are the basis of education for children; and paying attention to nurseries and establishing strict conditions and regulations in order to provide extreme care for children.
The state's attention for children and their rights is reflected in the establishment of several government and non-government institutions concerned with the protection of children rights.
This is reflected in the establishment of Dhreima Qatar Orphan Foundation and providing necessary support to such an important group in any society.
Qatar also pays an increasing amount of attention to the issue of enhancing children rights and protecting them at the local, regional and international levels and ensuring the comprehensive implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The State of Qatar is also interested in the culture of children and, hence, it created the Childhood Cultural Center.
It also offers many cultural activities for children, including books and publications, most of which are stories derived from heritage in a way that suits the child's mind and age.
In addition, there are artistic exhibitions and literature and cultural competitions for children in any cultural events and festivals.
Libraries across the country also have children's activities.
There are cultural competitions in general knowledge, drawing and colouring, writing children's stories, in addition to cultural and religious lectures that reflect Qatar's attention to children and establish Qatar as a model in taking care of that important segment of society.
It is customary for the Arab League's general secretariat to issue a press release on this day that reflects the attention that joint Arab social action mechanisms pay to guarantee the rights of children in the Arab region and working to improve their conditions.
Children will form the future society and, thus, giving them mental, psychological and social care is one of the cornerstones of building human development.
Opportunities for future generations can not be created without these generations having a role in making their own lives.
Perhaps this is why international organisations exert efforts to emphasise the rights of children and their protection, and considering the rights of the child indivisible or subject to selectivity.
These rights are universal, united and interrelated.
These efforts culminated in the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child.
These efforts reflected in the Arab world since the convening of the first Arab high-level conference on childhood in Tunisia in 1992, where the first Arab plan on childhood was agreed and carried on through mass Arab efforts.
Since its inception in 1987, the Arab Council for Childhood and Development has worked to protect the rights of Arab children and raise awareness about them.
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