Kuwait to strengthen child protection legislation against violence

Dr. Jassim Al-Kandari highlighted that Kuwait has developed a series of legislations and policies that guarantee the rights of children to provide them with a safe and healthy environment for their development.

The Assistant Undersecretary for Social Welfare at the Ministry of Affairs, Dr. Jassim Al-Kandari, specifically confirmed that the State of Kuwait is continuing to enhance child protection.

This is being done by adopting the best practices and legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of children and protecting them from various forms of violence and abuse.

During his participation in the Child Protection Conference organized by the Kuwait Lawyers Association under the title “Penal, Civil and Psychological Aspects” with a working paper discussing best practices for child protection, Al-Kandri pointed out that Kuwait has developed a series of legislations and policies that guarantee the rights of children and also guarantee them a safe and healthy environment for development.

Al-Kandri stressed that the protection of children is not an individual responsibility, but requires comprehensive cooperation between the Government, civil society institutions, and families to ensure that children are fully protected from any abuse or neglect.

Furthermore, Al-Kandri added that Kuwait relies on multiple legal and social mechanisms to combat all forms of violence against children.

He distinctly pointed out that the Child Protection Law No. 21 of 2015 and the Juvenile Welfare Law No. 111 of 2015, and as amended by Law No. 1 of 2017, are among the most important laws that promote children’s rights and criminalize violence in all its forms, whether physical, psychological or emotional.

On a significant note, Al-Kandari also stressed the importance of creating a legal environment that complies with international standards, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child issued by the United Nations, which Kuwait is committed in implementing to ensure children’s rights in terms of better health care, education and protection from exploitation.

“Providing psychosocial support for affected children is one of the main pillars of their protection, stressing the importance of cooperation between state institutions and civil society to provide the necessary care,” he said.

Al-Kandari emphasized in particular that Kuwait continues its efforts to raise the level of community awareness about child protection issues by organizing awareness campaigns targeting families, schools and the media’

He also pointed about the pivotal role of schools in enhancing the awareness of children and their families about the risks of violence and neglect, and the importance of supporting teachers.

On a concluding note, Al-Kindari stressed the need to unify efforts to develop effective strategies to combat violence against children and promote a safe and stable environment for them.

More importantly, Al-Kindari laid great emphasis that Kuwait will continue to develop legislation and policies to ensure children’s rights in line with international best practices.