Police in Abu Dhabi have urged parents to step up safety measures at their homes to prevent the needless deaths of children in falls from apartment blocks.
Numbers of such fatalities have long been a source of concern across the Emirates, where many people reside in high-rise buildings.
Police said residents can prevent further tragedy by taking simple steps such as installing balcony guards and window restrictors and ensuring large furniture items are not placed close to balconies to avoid children climbing on them to reach greater heights.
In a safety message issued on social media, the force advised residents to keep access to balcony areas limited and lock windows and warned even a "moment of negligence" can cost lives.
A recent accident was caused by playfully holding a child in front of a window that was not securely closed, police said.
"The person holding the child may think they are holding them tight, but they could lose control and the child could fatally slip,' police said in a statement.
“A moment of negligence or absent-mindedness has caused the loss of many children’s lives."
In March, a six-year-old autistic boy fell to his death from an 11th floor balcony in Sharjah.
The boy reportedly climbed a chair in the balcony and fell. The mother said she did not notice the child sneaking out.
In September last year, a secondary-school girl was also reported to have fallen from her school balcony in Abu Dhabi.
In such instances, parents are immediately investigated by the police and could face charges.
However, in many cases the parents are not taken to court because it is difficult to prove that the parents were actually responsible for the accident, a senior Dubai prosecutor previously told The National.
“If a child is metres away from his parents, falls and then is critically injured, its quite tough to blame the parents,” said Mohammed Rustom, head of Dubai's family and juvenile prosecution division.
“We can't be emotional, we have to be practical and as per law, find evidence to establish presence of negligence.”
The UAE child protection law states that a child caregiver is prohibited from subjecting the child to neglect or abandonment and from leaving him without supervision or follow-up, or fail to or refrain from providing guidance.
Those flouting the law could either face imprisonment, a Dh5,000 fine, or both.
Window-guards could be in the form of metal bars placed outside a window to prevent a child from being able to get through.
Parents could also install locks on the window-handles, or thin metal-nets outside a balcony.
Constance Arturo, a mother of three, said she installed bars outside her window even before her daughter could walk.
“Why wait until she can climb things and then suffer the consequences?” said the 34-year-old housewife from Lebanon.
“I have a big couch in front of the living-room window, so she could easily climb it and jump.
"I live in a normal building made of bricks, so it was easy to install bars," she said.
“I just went to a steel and aluminium company to order it, they sent a representative to measure the windows and after three days it was ready.”
The price was also quite reasonable, she said.
“I installed it for the living room window and the girls’ bedroom, it cost around Dh800 in total.”
Mrs Arturo said she did not have to take the permission of the landlord before installing the guard because the bars can be easily removed.
“However, I don’t think it is possible for people who live in high-rise buildings with glass windows to apply such guards by themselves.
“I have friends like that who ended up locking the windows altogether, one family even broke the window handles and removed them.”
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
White Jersey
Young Rider Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider born after January 1, 1995 in the overall classification by time (U25).
Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Quick%20facts
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Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
