Child Safety Department begins field visits to Sharjah beaches

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Child Safety Department (CSD), an affiliate of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, has begun field visits to the beaches in Sharjah, as part of its first phase of its comprehensive campaign themed, ‘Their Safety First’; which comprises an array of year-long specialised awareness programmes aimed at protecting children in a broad range of situations and environments.

The campaign reflects CSD’s efforts to educate community members on essential safety measures that ensures the protection and safety of their children from risks or dangers throughout the year.

The initial phase of the campaign, launched in the presence of Hanadi Al Yafei, Director of CSD, featured field visits to several beaches in the emirate of Sharjah, which witnesses a high footfall during summer. The field visits aim to educated beachgoers on the safety practices and essential skills required to protect their children from drowning, sunburn, and other summer and beach-related incidents.

During the beach field visits, the CSD team distributed giveaways that featured several entertaining beach toys, along with awareness leaflets highlighting the prevalence and risk factors of drowning, emergency contact numbers, and how to keep young swimmers of all ages safe.

The campaign will continue until August 31, 2022. CSD organised the first field visit on Tuesday to Sharjah Corniche Beach, located next to Sharjah Ladies Club; campaign organisers, volunteers, and representatives of the campaign’s partners, namely the Sharjah Civil Defence (SCD), Sharjah Police (SP), Sharjah Prevention and Safety Authority (SPSA), Districts and Villages Affairs Department (DVAD), Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (SBA) and Health Promotion Department (HPD); gathered at the CSD booth tailored specifically for “Their Safety First” Campaign.

Meetings with senior government officials representing child safety entities and campaign partners were held to emphasise the leading role of the campaign in raising awareness among families and children on recognising unsafe behaviour and enforcing necessary swimming safety measures to reduce accidents.

They outlined the positive impact the campaign has on the community; and ensures that beachgoers can enjoy water activities safely and anticipate awareness before the child encounters an accident. CSD aims to cover a majority of beaches across the emirate as part of its field visits. The campaign management team will be visiting beaches that have a high turnout of beachgoers including Al Hamriyah, Al Khan, Khorfakkan, and Dibba Al Hisn.

During the first field visit, the CSD’s team met families, parents, and children, and discussed some of the most important safety practices to be observed while at the beach, including the importance of having a first-aid kit. The team also distributed awareness booklets and gifts to raise awareness amongst the visitors on the most common accidents that occur while visiting the beaches during summer.