SHARJAH // The director of Sharjah’s children’s hotline has dealt with many young people traumatised by divorce, so he is working on educating parents about keeping their offspring distanced from marital problems and bitter break-ups.
Ahmad Al Tartor, 57, is on a mission to give children the best opportunity of having a normal upbringing.
“Children of failed marriages are frail, especially from Arab families, they are psychologically traumatised after living in a very negative environment at home, where parents often use them as leverage to gain points over the other parent,” he says.
He is working with the media, civic societies and Sharjah courts to try to get parents going through a separation or divorce to keep their children away from the process.
“The child is a product of the relationship, and not part of the relationship. Children should be away from all the problems at all times. It should be a mantra,” Mr Al Tartor says.
After graduating with a bachelors of law from Alexandria University in 1982, he completed a diploma in Islamic studies at the Arab University in Cairo, before he came to the UAE in 1984.
He earned another diploma, in human rights, from Dubai Police, and married in 1988.
He worked at Sharjah social services department until he was assigned to run the children’s hotline in 2007, which was the first of its kind in the country.
“I have a great disdain for child violence. I can’t bear the thought of a vulnerable child getting hurt or abused; it is why I come to work every day, to try to help children as much as I can,” says the father of three boys and a girl.
Another problem he sees often is parents speaking ill of their spouses.
“Some parents foul mouth their spouses in front their children, often resulting in the child resenting a parent, them being fearful and other negative characteristics,” says the Palestinian. “Not two days ago, a father of boys aged 8 and 10 came in. He started speaking ill about their mother in a very bad and harmful way. When I told him to stop, he responded saying let the children know and listen what their mother is.”
The effects of bitter relationships and divorces sink in with children, he says.
“I was talking to an 11-year-old girl from a divorced family when she told me that she will never get married. She told me that she did not want to relive what her mother went through,” says Mr Al Tartor.
As part of his daily job, Mr Al Tartor sees all kinds of child abuse – mothers dumping their out-of-wedlock newborns on streets and in bins, to divorced parents abandoning their child.
“I can sometimes understand why a mother would abandon her child, maybe to save herself from being charged with adultery and conceiving outside of wedlock,” he says. However, there was one incident that has stuck with him for years.
“A divorced couple got remarried to others and neither of the new partners wanted to raise the child from the previous marriage. So they came here and asked what the solution was to their problem, to which I answered that we have a children’s home. The parents left the child at the centre and each went their separate way.”
He drove home that day saddened by the fact that two adults would simply abandon a vulnerable child and go on with their lives.
“I still can’t fathom how they could abandon their flesh and blood that way,” says Mr Al Tartor.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
