Islamic Relief Engage People in Child Protection
Identifying risk factors that contribute to typical abuse of children rights is a difficult task since the definition of the term abuse is dynamic and socially constructed. Discussions on the issue of child abuse lead to a growing demand for a cross cultural understanding of the respected term, and it seems to be in accordance with the spirit of Islam as Religion and as a way of life Islam promotes the protection of children by providing a comprehensive guidance for the parents about the rights of their children.
Islamic Relief is a charitable organization operating in over 30 countries worldwide which has taken an active role in training people on child protection through Islamic teachings. Speaking at Malawi Sun Hotel when closing a one week training which was organized by Islamic Relief Malawi in Blantyre, Neelam Fida, Child Protection and Inclusive Advisor for Islamic Relief Worldwide said children in Africa especially Malawi are subjected to different abuses.
“Children have a number of needs to be fulfilled based on their position at the continuum of developmental stages. Children’s needs range from good social learning to harmonious and supportive social relation for the maturation process of their psychosocial aspect,” Fida said.
Fida further explained that the training was organized to recognize and empower the Muslim communities on how they can handle children and other youngsters.
“The Covenant of protecting children from different abuses has been highlighted several times in the Holy Qur’an and if followed, countries like Malawi can have few cases of child abuse,” she said.
Fida also said children must be protected from ‘cultural, ideological, information and communication invasion which contradicts the Islamic Sharia and the national interest of the state. The training which was organized under the theme “Islamic Perspective in Child Protection” is one of the Islamic Relief interventions in supporting vulnerable children and it was also conducted in Malaysia before Malawi.
In his remarks, one of the participants Finance and Administrative Officer for Islamic Relief Malawi Daudi Milanzie said that his team has benefited a lot from the training as they have acquired some knowledge on child protection through the Islamic teachings. Milanzie said they will share the information with the general public to reduce cases of child abuse.
“This is a very important training since we have been equipped with new approaches in protecting children and we have also learned some things which we were considering as normal to the children while they are harmful,” he said.
The administrative officer said they will work hand in hand with police, courts and other children’s social welfare institutions in order to end child abuse in the country. Islamic Relief Malawi is one of the humanitarian organizations doing quite a number of initiatives in the areas of Agriculture and Food Security, Climate change adaptation, Education, WASH, Orphans and Child Protection.
