The surge in remote learning during the pandemic has put children at risk from predators online, a senior UN official said.
Eltayeb Adam, the Gulf representative for Unicef, said many youngsters were unaware of the dangers and some were at risk of abuse.
Mr Adam urged governments to prioritise opening schools, if safe to do so, while also ensuring children were protected when using the internet.
More than 90 per cent of pupils around the world spent some of the school year outside the classroom.
"1.6 billion children around the world were affected by Covid-19 and their learning was disrupted," Mr Adam told The National.
When they're online, children could also be subject to violence, to abuse, or even to sexual abuse.
"They also had issues around well-being and mental health ... not being able to associate with other children and being isolated.
"That is why we continue to advocate for keeping schools open as much as possible.
“Of course, you have to implement safety measures and make sure that children are safe, but school is the best place for children because they will be able to learn more effectively and at the same time to socialise as children.”
Unicef said more than 30 per cent of children still do not have access to distance learning through the internet, TV or radio, and 24 million children are could drop out of school because of the pandemic.
But those who do have access to remote learning face another danger.
“Children could also be subjected to violence, abuse, or even to sexual abuse,” Mr Adam said. “We are working with the UAE authorities to see how we can address this issue.”
One organisation in Sharjah is addressing the threat. The Child Safety Department organised 12 online workshops in collaboration with Sharjah Police and the Sharjah Prevention and Safety Authority, to raise awareness of children’s rights, safety and cyber security.
It was attended by more than 950 people, including 830 children.
“Ensuring the safety of children begins with becoming aware of what they may face in both the online and the real world,” said the CSD’s director, Hanadi Al Yafei.
“A few decades ago, falling from balconies was not considered as a prime safety issue as there were no tall buildings here. The same applies to cybersecurity and safety,” she said.
“We therefore urge parents and teachers to proactively learn and familiarise themselves with new technologies and how they work, to ensure the online safety of their children.”
In March last year, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, launched the “child digital safety” initiative to protect children from online threats.
The scheme included an interactive children’s camp to teach five to 18-year-olds how to use the internet and social media safely, a “digital well-being portal” to provide information for parents, and a support platform where people with questions on digital safety can speak to experts.
Maryam Ehsani, founder of Child Safe Middle East, previously worked as a child protection adviser at Dubai Police. Her advice to parents is to educate youngsters about stranger danger.
“You need to have the uncomfortable conversations with your children,” she said.
“You need to tell them about the alarming behaviour that can take place online and what they need to look out for and share with you.
“As parent and caregiver, we all have a responsibility to make sure the device they are using is protected.”
Anyone who suspects child abuse can contact the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centre on 116 111, while Dubai has a 24-hour hotline, 800 988.
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
Result
Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2
Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)
The five pillars of Islam
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Persuasion
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarrie%20Cracknell%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDakota%20Johnson%2C%20Cosmo%20Jarvis%2C%20Richard%20E%20Grant%2C%20Henry%20Golding%20and%20Nikki%20Amuka-Bird%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
