Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, will be hosting a conference in partnership with the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) from February 15 to 17 at Grand Hyatt Doha.
ISPCAN Qatar 2020, themed on ‘Child Protection, The Journey So Far and the Future Ahead’, will focus on approaches to stop violence against children based on scientific knowledge and research. Sidra Medicine and ISPCAN are working together to create awareness around the subject, while striving to change the lives of children who are victims of abuse.
More than 10 local and international experts in child advocacy and child protection will be speaking at the ISPCAN Qatar conference. These include Linda Steele from the US National Child Advocacy Centre who will focus on the art of interviewing children in cases of suspected child abuse, and Anthony Macdonald, director of Unicef EMRO region from the School of Violence in the Middle East specialising in data and challenges.
The guest speakers also feature Howard Taylor, executive director of the Global Partnership to End Violence, who will speak about ending violence against children; Prof Muthanna Samra, professor of psychology, Kings College, UK, who will give a keynote on protecting children in the age of smartphones and the internet. The conference will see the CEO of the International Centre for Sports and Human Rights, Mary Harvey, talk about violence against children in sports and exercise.
Keynote speakers from the region involve Prof Figen Sahin Dagli from Gazi University in Turkey, Prof Mohamed Ghaly from the University of Qatar, and Dr Bernard Gerbaka, an established paediatrician from Lebanon.
Prof Khalid al-Ansari, chair, Emergency Medicine, Sidra Medicine and founder of the healthcare organisation’s Child Advocacy Programme, said, “The fight against child abuse is a global issue. We are committed to raising further awareness, working with the community and key government partners so that together, we can advance and develop programs that will serve as permanent solutions to tackling this ongoing social problem. ”
Sidra Medicine launched its Child Advocacy Programme in 2018, which was established to coordinate the care of children suspected of being abused or neglected and provide resources and quality care.
A dedicated Sidra Medicine Child helpline – 40034000 - has been established for the general public who can call during working hours or leave a message out of hours, if they know or suspect a child is being abused.
Related Story