Syed Hussein Al -Qassab
– Protection of children in the digital environment is a Gulf strategy priority
Gulf efforts to exchange experiences and enhance cooperation in this field
– “Interior”: Bahrain established specialized departments such as the Child Protection Unit
Oman launched legislative and executive initiatives for a safe environment for children’s growth
In a move that reflects the commitment of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to enhance child protection in the digital era, a number of officials and experts participated in a specialized dialogue session entitled “Protection of Children in the Digital World”, in the presence of the Minister of Social Development Osama Al -Alawi. The session witnessed a review of leading national experiences and qualitative initiatives from different countries of the Council, focused on ways to prevent electronic risks, enhance societal awareness, and the integration of legislative and technical efforts to ensure a safe digital environment for children, and the experiences of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries stressed the importance of intensifying regional efforts to protect children from the increasing risks witnessed by the digital world, especially in light of the growing threats of threats Electronic targeting childhood.
In their interventions, speakers dealt with the most prominent achievements at the local and regional levels, and stressed the importance of cooperation between governments, civil society and educational and security sectors to achieve the best interest of the child, and to reduce the threats that he may be exposed to in electronic space.
The Director General of the Executive Office of the Council of Labor Ministers and Ministers of Social Affairs in the Cooperation Council countries, Mohamed Al -Obaidli, expressed his happiness at the opening of the dialogue session on “protecting children in the digital world”, praising the solidarity of Gulf efforts to exchange experiences and enhance cooperation in this vital field. He stressed that the session represents an active Gulf platform to review national initiatives in the field of child protection from the dangers of digitization and technology, from the perspective of social development, which he described as “the essence of social work and the basis for building sound and balanced societies.”
Al -Obaidli explained that the digital transformation has become an integral part of daily life, and its influence extended to every home, family and child, indicating that the world witnesses the fruits of this transformation in the fields of education, health, and communication, but in return it requires dealing consciously with the social challenges that arise from it, especially in the category of children, as the most fragile and influential category. He stressed that the responsibility is not limited to protecting from digital risks, but also extends to enabling children to interact with a balanced and balanced interaction with the digital world, through a supportive family and societal environment, participating, which contributes to building personality and enhancing values and skills. He also indicated that the exchange of experiences between the countries of the Cooperation Council opens a spacious prospect for integration, and gives decision makers an opportunity to build sustainable social policies, which contributes to directing technology to serve the integrated child growth, and his psychological and social well -being.
For his part, the observer delegate to the Cooperation Council at the United Nations Office in Geneva Abdulaziz Al -Nassar highlighted the efforts of the Cooperation Council states in the field of child protection and their initiatives. He pointed to the advanced steps achieved by the GCC states at the level of legislation and international cooperation, stressing that protecting children in the digital environment is for them a strategic priority. He stressed the strengthening of international cooperation, and providing technical support to countries facing challenges in this regard, and the importance of highlighting the experiences of the rich and varied countries of the GCC as representing a solid base that can be built and transferred to the regional and international levels, in order to promote child protection in the cybersecurity.
In turn, the Assistant Head of Public Security for Community Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Brigadier General Ammar Mustafa, explained that the participation of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the Gulf dialogue session, “protecting our children in the digital world”, constituted an important opportunity to review the Kingdom’s experience, which aims to enhance child protection in light of the accelerated electronic challenges. He indicated that what distinguishes this review is the exchange of experiences between the Gulf countries, where each country has its own experience, which enhances the opportunities for regional cooperation to come up with recommendations that will develop the child protection system, especially in light of the successive technical developments.
Brigadier Mustafa stressed that the Ministry of Interior paid great attention to the field of electronic space, and established departments specialized in electronic protection, including a unit concerned with protecting children, based on a firm conviction that children are the future generation, and they must be protected from the threats they may be exposed to online and smart devices. He pointed out that it is necessary to develop children’s awareness of ways to protect themselves, in addition to educating families on how to protect their children from the dangers of electronic space, stressing that the Bahraini experience has made a great way in this field, and resulted in positive results.
He stressed that efforts will not stop, but will continue to develop to keep pace with developments, stressing that artificial intelligence represents a new challenge that carries many positives, but at the same time imposes social threats that require dealing with it with caution. He revealed that the Kingdom of Bahrain is one of the countries in the field of artificial intelligence, and that the Ministry of Interior is working to harness the technical capabilities to enhance the positive aspects of this technology, while developing mechanisms to protect children from its possible negative effects.
He pointed out that existing cooperation with the Ministry of Education to include the concepts of awareness and protection of the child in the curriculum, through the “Together” program concerned with protecting children from violence and addiction, which is currently taught in various schools of the Kingdom through community service police employees, specifically the Crime Prevention Department.
Brigadier Mustafa noted that cooperation with the Ministry of Education is continuing, and that continuous meetings and coordination reflect the commitment of both sides to enhance the culture of protection and awareness among young people. He concluded by noting that the speed of response to the reports related to the protection of children is very high, explaining that there are several channels for receiving communications, including email, hotline, in addition to electronic reports, which contributes to rapid and effective dealing with various cases.
For its part, the charge in charge of supervising the work of the Child Protection Center at the Ministry of Social Development in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Fakhriya Sayyid Shab, affirmed that the Ministry’s participation in the dialogue session entitled “Protection of our children in the digital world” came to present a working paper entitled “Protection of children in the digital environment: leading and successful experiences”, which highlighted the national efforts made by the Ministry of Social Development to protect children from the increasing digital risks. She explained that the Child Protection Center is the central authority in the Kingdom to receive communications related to cases of abuse or expose them to risk, as well as playing a basic role in community awareness and education.
Fakhriya Al -Sayed indicated that the center’s efforts are based on two main axes of its strategy, namely: ensuring an integrated societal response to protect the child, and enhancing his right to knowledge through comprehensive awareness campaigns targeting children and their families, with the aim of providing a safe environment, whether in actual reality, or in the digital space. It dealt with a group of initiatives and efforts led by the Ministry of Social Development, including: the National Committee for Childhood and the National Childhood Strategy, in addition to the rescue line and support of the child, which works around the clock to receive communications, provide counseling services, support, listening, and transfer cases to the competent authorities when needed.
She referred to the “Protection” initiative, which was launched by the Ministry in cooperation with the Public Prosecution during the period from July to December 2024, which aimed to achieve the best interest of the child, to address the various threats and violence directed at children, including addressing criminal electronic networks, and spreading a conscious, sound education culture. She added that the working paper also dealt with the positive effects of the initiative, including raising the level of family and cognitive awareness of how to protect children from the dangers of the Internet, and enable parents to monitor their children’s activities and direct them towards a safe use of technology.
She noted that the campaign contributed to providing a safe environment for children, and increasing their awareness of the importance of reporting any electronic blackmail attempt, in addition to strengthening their self -confidence, and raising their ability to define their personal borders in the digital world. She revealed that the initiative encouraged children to speak freely, and taught them how to deal with others consciously and cautiously, which contributed to promoting psychological safety for children and increasing their ability to report in the event of any danger. It also announced that the Ministry of Social Development implemented, in cooperation with the concerned authorities, 113 training programs during the campaign period, which varied between workshops, seminars and lectures, with the aim of expanding the base of beneficiaries of awareness programs, and targeting civil society partners and educational and social institutions.
For his part, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Assistant Undersecretary for Social Development, Dr. Khaled Al -Ajmi, stressed that the subject of the dialogue session on the protection of children in the digital world is one of the priorities that receive wide attention at the local and regional levels, given the increasing challenges imposed by the electronic space, especially on the category of children.
He explained that one of the most prominent of these challenges is related to the dangers of the Internet, noting that children today are more likely to have diverse digital attacks, such as sexual exploitation, fraud, electronic bullying, and other forms of violations that require promoting prevention and protection mechanisms. He indicated that this session highlights the complex digital threats facing the child in the virtual environment, which calls for intensifying joint work to develop preventive plans that contribute to protecting children from any behavior or content that affects their ideas and behaviors.
Al -Ajmi pointed out that the convening of such dialogue sessions between the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf represents a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences and review national experiences, which reflects positively on the efforts made in protecting children, raising their level of awareness, and enhancing their ability to use safe and responsible for technology.
He stressed that the outputable outputs and recommendations represent an important pillar in developing effective protective policies and mechanisms, keeping pace with the rapid changes in the digital world, and contribute to building a safe and appropriate environment for children’s growth, psychologically and socially.
On the other hand, the head of the alternative welfare department in the Child Affairs Department in the Sultanate of Oman reviewed the marine, the most prominent features of the Sultanate’s experience in the field of child protection in the digital space, stressing that Oman presented a leading model at the local and Arab levels, through integrated legislative and executive efforts. She indicated that the Sultanate paid great attention to the legal aspect, as it worked to develop national laws and legislation to protect the child from the dangers of the digital world, noting that these efforts are consistent with the vision of Oman 2040 that seeks to build a safe and comprehensive digital society.
The navy explained that the Sultanate of Oman implemented a number of qualitative initiatives, including the organization of technical hacks, which brought together programmers and specialists to develop technological solutions to protect children from cyber threats, within the framework of promoting digital security. She emphasized that among the prominent initiatives also, the National Laboratory Project, which was launched in 2024, noting that this laboratory adopted a unique participatory approach, as it included in its formation government institutions, a private sector, and civil society institutions, in addition to the children themselves. She also added that the involvement of children in this laboratory came with the aim of identifying their opinions and investigating important indicators related to their use of digital space, which reflects the Sultanate’s keenness to develop policies based on the child’s needs and vision, and enhance his protection in the virtual world.
